And I Hope You Like Jamón Too

Hams. A common sight in restaurants, supermarkets and delis here (and elsewhere in Spain) is to see large hams hanging from walls or ceilings. They take ham seriously here, and so common are the legs that one sees that the ham could almost be defined as a local emblem. Like wine, there are controls for ham quality, and there are various categories of ham depending on the type of pig and the pig’s diet.

Whereas the British palate and visual eating sense are generally programmed to ham that is pink and often shrink-wrapped, there is a diversity of local ham in terms of its visual presentation, taste and colour. The British visitor will often retreat to the security of pinkness that comes as jamón york, but the more revered Spanish hams are jamón serrano or jamón ibérico which possess a more exotic depth of colour. The purpleness of these hams hints at a wilder taste, curing and preservation. And wilder is an apt description, jamón serrano literally meaning mountain ham.

In Alcúdia, there is currently a series of jamón serrano events. This is in keeping with the demonstrations and promotions of local cuisine that is a feature of fairs such as Alcúdia’s. Various bars, cafés and restaurants are participating in these serrano events, which started last week and continue into November. This coming week, for instance, one can sample jamón serrano at S’Esclat on the 18th and Corró on the 19th. A full listing has been posted on the WHAT’S ON BLOG.


QUIZ
Yesterday - Funkadelic. Today’s title - well ok, a bit of play on words, but I was struggling. Where does this amended line come from?

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