Food from spain

Depends where "home" is. Each country has its own rules. Can you tell us which country you will be trying to bring this ham into?

Oops, good point. We're returning to USA.

Shelley, I googled "Bringing meat and cheese into the USA" and found this on a US government website: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1272/~/food---general-food

You may bring bakery items and most cheeses into the United States.
The importation of fresh, dried or canned meats or meat products is generally not allowed from most foreign countries into the United States.

It doesn't sound promising. Cheese but no meat. You will have to declare it.

Since cured ham/jamon/prosciutto and dried sausage/salami are not cooked and do require temperature control, they're not allowed. A further link from the one Chris provided includes this detail: Commercially canned pork is allowed if the CBP officer can determine from the label that the meat was cooked in the can after it was sealed to make it shelf-stable without refrigeration. But that description fits better for a jar of pigs feet.

If it’s Serrano ham you wanted to bring back, Costco sells a boneless Serrano ham online. They’re not inexpensive, but it’s an alternative since you can’t bring it back.

LaTienda.com is a US based importer and retailer of Spanish food, including various grades of jamon. I bought several items from La Tienda in the past; good but can be very expensive. Try their website to see if anything interests you.

Thanks everyone, all your responses make sense. I guess I'll just have to consume as much as I can while I'm still in spain. The supplier sounds promising for special occasions.

There are plenty of other things you can bring back....

Certainly cheese, and of the semi hard to hard cheeses, Manchego being the best example, are great. Both un-aged and aged versions.

If you get into some of the seafood tapas, cod roe, clams, tuna, anchovies, etc., all canned and very high quality, are fine to bring back.

If you like Paella, you can get great rice, very cheap, as well as Saffron...much cheaper than here.

If you go to Segovia or Toledo, there are sweet treats, In Segovia you can get the HUGE dried beans.

As you go around and eat, if something interests you, take a look in the grocery stores.

Many things are fine to bring back if they can manage OK out of refrigeration; just avoid any meats, fresh produce, or fresh dairy.

Turron- my favorite!

Look back up the thread to Chris F's quote from the CBP website.

Whatever you bring back, don't assume its ok and skip declaring it. That means answering yes to the question about whether you are bringing back food. The agent will just ask you what it is, and if it really is OK, then they'll let your bring it in. Or they'll decide its not OK and take it from you - no harm other than what it cost you to buy it. If you dont declare it and they find it, then you have a problem.

People tend to equate "what I got away with" with "what is legal".

As mentioned above, La Tienda is a great way to get authentic Spanish food.

Furthermore, see if you have an Italian specialty market where you live. We have two here in Grand Rapids, Michigan and they both stock a selection of Spanish stuff (including shaved-to-order Jamon Serrano, sitting in the case right next to their Prosciutto). I've eaten more jamon serrano in the past 3 years since discovering than than I ever thought I'd be able to in the states! :-)

I was a regular La Tienda customer, but had a couple of bad customer service experiences. I now get my jamón here, it's hand-sliced, better quality, and a little less expensive than La Tienda.