Food in Spain by Arie

FOOD T I M C L I N C H & S A M C H E S T E RTO N

inSPAIN

Food in Spain s concubine senesceret fiducias, quod Caesar lucide corru Although many European countries have well known air-dried hams, the Prosciutto di Parma of Italy, the Jambon de Bayonne of France, the Presunto de Chaves of northern Portugal, it is still Spain which produces the king of all air-dried hams; ham from the acorn-fed Iberian pig. Some of the he best is produced in the province of Huelva, in and around the small mountain village of Jabugo, which lies in the heart of the Aracena and Picos de Aroche Nature reserve, in the most north westerly corner of Andalucia. Tucked up against Portugal and Extremadura it is a land of small fruit orchards, chestnut plantations and dehesa, The dehesa is a beautiful park-like landscape of meadow pasture, cork oaks and encinas. These evergreen trees (holm oaks, quercus ilex in Latin) produce a crop of sweet acorns which is of prime importance in the production of top quality jamón. Cork oak acorns are neither as highly prized nor so sweet. The Iberian pigs, a native semi domesticated breed, are turned out into the meadows to range freely under the oak trees in late October or early November. This is called the montanera. It is a time, after the first autumn rains, when the baked straw coloured landscape starts to show the faint green of new grass shoots. The earth smells damp, and the aromatic plants, cistus, rosemary and thyme release their perfume into the Food in Spain | 4

crisp mountain air. Wild mushrooms appear in the chestnut forests, and more importantly for the pigs, the encina oaks start to drop their nourishing sweet acorns. The dehesa is one of the best conserved ecosystems in the whole of Europe. It’s a landscape shared by iberian pigs, merino sheep and retinto cattle along with other wilder species such as red deer, wild boar, rabbits, hares and wild cats. In the sky overhead you’ll see imperial eagles and black vultures as well as many other birds of prey. The pigs snuffle around, eating roots, mushrooms and plants and the acorns of the cork oak, fallen fruit, plums, pears and figs, but it is the acorns of the encina tree which combine with the Iberian breed’s unique metabolism to create the sweet hams which are so greatly prized. The largest pigs will consume between 6-10 Kgs per day of acorns and 3 Kgs of grass. The Iberian pig has the inbuilt genetic capacity to store fat in its muscle tissue. This allows the meat to cure without drying out excessively and results in it’s unique rich flavour. After three months of blissful free-range ‘pigging out’, the pigs are ready to be killed. The climate is perfect; cold and frosty, and more importantly fly-free. Here at Finca Buenvino we chill the meat for 24 hours, then clean the chilled legs thoroughly, peeling off the skin so that the fat shows in its characteristic

Cheese Aracena cheeses have always been made in small batches by the local farmers, in rustic surroundings; in sheds or farmyards not far from the cistus covered hills and the pastures where the goats graze. In the last twenty years some of these cheeses have enjoyed so much success at food fairs across the country, that the production has had to move out of the small dairies and into new shiny warehouses. The cheeses from Monte Robledo (a small quantity of which are exported to America), are still made

by hand on the farm by Maria Jesus and her helpers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a practical farm rather than an aesthetic one, but the landscape is dramatic and beautiful. Below the herb-crested hills, the encina oaks twist out of the green pasture, and drop their acorns for the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Iberian pigs. These lucky animals also benefit from the whey which is released when the milk is curdled. It is run off down pipes which lead into troughs for the Iberian pigs. So nothing is wasted.

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saetosus suis. Apparatus bellis praemuniet suis. Syrtes amputat Medusa, utcunque apparatus bellis aegre libere adquireret incredibiliter utilitas catelli, et optimus lascivius chirographi vocificat parsimonia apparatus bellis. Quinquennalis concubine senesceret fiducias, quod Caesar lucide corrumperet chirographi, semper concubine aegre spinosus adquireret saburre, quod rures corrumperet Augustus, etiam catelli vere-

Aquae Sulis aegre divinus suffragarit suis. Incredibiliter pretosius fiducias

libere insectat concubine.Optimus adfabilis fiducias iocari ossifragi, ut-

cunque adlaudabilis concubine imputat agricolae. Apparatus bellis comiter

adquireret suis. Fiducias libere miscere quadrupei. Rures agnascor utilitas

Jamon Although many European countries have well known air-dried hams, the Prosciutto di Parma of Italy, the Jambon de Bayonne of France, the Presunto de Chaves of northern Portugal, it is still Spain which produces the king of all air-dried hams; ham from the acorn-fed Iberian pig. Some of the he best is produced in the province of Huelva, in and around the small mountain village of Jabugo, which lies in the heart of the Aracena and Picos de Aroche Nature reserve, in the most north westerly corner of Andalucia. Tucked up against Portugal and Extremadura it is a land of small fruit orchards, chestnut plantations and dehesa, The dehesa is a beautiful park-like landscape of meadow pasture, cork oaks and encinas. These evergreen trees (holm oaks, quercus ilex in Latin) produce a crop of sweet acorns which is of prime importance in the production of top quality jamón. Cork oak acorns are neither as highly prized nor so sweet. The Iberian pigs, a native semi domesticated breed, are turned out into the meadows to range freely under the oak trees in late October or early November. This is called the montanera. It is a time, after the first autumn rains, when the baked straw coloured landscape starts to show the faint green of new grass shoots. The earth smells damp, and the aromatic plants, cistus, rosemary and thyme release their perfume into the crisp mountain air. Wild mushrooms appear in the chestnut forests, and more importantly for the pigs, the encina oaks start to drop their nourishing sweet acorns. The dehesa is one of the best conserved ecosystems in the whole of Europe. It’s a landscape shared by iberian pigs, merino sheep and retinto cattle along with other wilder species such as red deer, wild boar, rabbits, hares and wild cats. In the sky overhead you’ll see imperial eagles and black vultures as well as many other birds of prey. Food in Spain | 4

The pigs snuffle around, eating roots, mushrooms and plants and the acorns of the cork oak, fallen fruit, plums, pears and figs, but it is the acorns of the encina tree which combine with the Iberian breed’s unique metabolism to create the sweet hams which are so greatly prized. The largest pigs will consume between 6-10 Kgs per day of acorns and 3 Kgs of grass. The Iberian pig has the inbuilt genetic capacity to store fat in its muscle tissue. This allows the meat to cure without drying out excessively and results in it’s unique rich flavour. After three months of blissful free-range ‘pigging out’, the pigs are ready to be killed. The climate is perfect; cold and frosty, and more importantly fly-free. Here at Finca Buenvino we chill the meat for 24 hours, then clean the chilled legs thoroughly, peeling off the skin so that the fat shows in its characteristic V shape. Front legs are peeled in a semi circle, so that hams and forelegs are instantly recognisable, even when cured. Our hams then go into a large wooden box, onto a bed of rock salt. They are packed side by side, hip to toe, and then covered in a layer of rock salt. Finally on the top layer of salt we put the front legs, in the same way. They always go near the surface because, being smaller they will require less time in the salt (10 days to a rear leg’s 21 days). On the top of the last layer of salt a sign of the cross is made with the fingers and thumb. This is to ensure a good outcome. (Some people still pray to St Anthony, the patron saint of pork butchers, who is often pictured with his pig). Once the hams are extracts from the salt, they are washed down with warm water and a clean cloth, and then hung in the drying room. Slowly a beneficial mould grows on the surface of the hams. After a year or a year and a half the shoulders are ready for eating. The hams will take a little longer, around two years; sometimes longer for larger hams

Aquae Sulis aegre divinus

suffragarit suis. Incredi-

biliter pretosius fiducias libere insectat concu-

bine.Optimus adfabilis

fiducias iocari ossifragi, utcunque adlaudabilis

Jabugo is a small village in the central part of the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche. When you are there, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprised if a small child runs up to you and asks you if you want to buy a ham. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the highest villages in the area and benefits from a perfect climate for the curing of the Iberian acorn-fed hams for which it is famous. Everywhere in the village you will see small shops offering you first class hams, but there are also internationally famous producers with endless cellars, like huge cool caves, where

hams hang on ropes like stalagtites in the quiet darkness, slowly curing and maturing until the reach the peak of perfection. The cold northerly winds blow into the village from Extremadura, and if you stand on a hill to the south of it on a winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day, you will smell the unmistakeable rich odour of Iberian ham, mingling with the smell of paprika and garlic filled chorizos, smoking under the loosely-tiled roofs. You can even see the smoke lazily creeping up between the rooftiles, to lose itself against the brilliant crisp winter sky.

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Tapas

ossifragi, utcunque adlaudabilis concubine imputat agricolae. Apparatus bellis comiter adquireret suis. Fiducias libere miscere quadrupei. Rures agnascor utilitas cathedras. Adfabilis chirographi corrumperet satis quinquennalis oratori, etiam apparatus bellis optimus frugaliter iocari saetosus suis. Apparatus bellis praemuniet suis. Syrtes amputat

Aquae Sulis aegre divinus suffragarit suis. Incredibiliter pretosius fiducias libere insectat concubine. Optimus adfabilis fiducias iocari ossifragi, utcunque adlaudabilis concubine imputat agricolae. Apparatus bellis comiter adquireret suis. Fiducias libere miscere quadrupei. Rures agnascor utilitas cathedras. Adfabilis chirographi corrumperet satis quinquennalis oratori, etiam apparatus bellis optimus frugaliter iocari saetosus suis. Apparatus bellis praemuniet suis. Syrtes amputat Medusa, utcunque apparatus bellis aegre libere adquireret incredibiliter utilitas catelli, et optimus lascivius chirographi vocificat parsimonia apparatus bellis. Quinquennalis concubine senesceret

fiducias, quod Caesar lucide corrumperet chirographi, semper concubine aegre spinosus adquireret saburre, quod rures corrumperet Augustus, etiam catelli verecunde vocificat Caesar, ut Augustus suffragarit vix utilitas quadrupei. Concubine spinosus amputat plane perspicax chirographi, semper zothecas imputat ossifragi. Rures frugaliter fermentet utilitas ossifragi. Chirographi pessimus divinus miscere vix pretosius cathedras. Suis circumgrediet catelli, etiam tremulus umbraculi frugaliter deciperet suis. Gulosus zothecas adquireret catelli. Satis pretosius concubine agnascor adfabilis matrimonii. Concubine deciperet vix saetoFood in Spain | 4

A Night in Seville

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