The wait is over: Iberico dry-cured sausages, until now unobtainable in the U.S., have earned USDA approval. The free-range pata negra, or black hoof, pigs from southwestern Spain are fed a natural diet of acorns and grasses; the resulting meat is richly flavored, and its fat is the good kind.

Two types of the sausages are sold: pata negra Iberico and pata negra Iberico de bellota; it’s sold in the deli case ($19-$32 per pound at gourmet stores and in individual 7.7-ounce packages ($9-$17 each) at specialty shops.