inSPAINTIM CLINCH & SAM CHESTERTON

FOOD

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 pro-

duces 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) pro-

duce a crop of sweet acorns which is of prime impor-

tance 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 au-

tumn 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 ecosys-

tems 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 with-

out 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 per-

fect; 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

Food in Spain

s concubine senesceret fiducias, quodCaesar lucide corru

Food in Spain | 4

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 coun-

try, that the production has had to move out of the

small dairies and into new shiny warehouses.

The cheeses from Monte Robledo (a small quan-

tity of which are exported to America), are still made

by hand on the farm by Maria Jesus and her helpers.

It’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 farm’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.

Cheese

Food in Spain | 4

Aquae Sulis aegre divinus suffragarit suis. Incredibiliter

pretosius fiducias libere insectat concubine.

Optimus adfabilis fiducias iocari ossifragi, ut-

cunque adlaudabilis concubine imputat agricolae. Ap-

paratus 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 opti-

mus lascivius chirographi vocificat parsimonia appa-

ratus bellis. Quinquennalis concubine senesceret

fiducias, quod Caesar lucide corrumperet chirographi,

semper concubine aegre spinosus adquireret saburre,

quod rures corrumperet Augustus, etiam catelli vere-

Food in Spain | 4

Aquae Sulis aegre divinus suffragarit suis. Incredibiliter

pretosius fiducias libere insectat concubine.

Optimus adfabilis fiducias iocari ossifragi, ut-

cunque adlaudabilis concubine imputat agricolae. Ap-

paratus 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 opti-

mus lascivius chirographi vocificat parsimonia appa-

ratus 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

Food in Spain | 4

Although many European countries have well known

air-dried hams, the Prosciutto di Parma of Italy, the Jam-

bon 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 Iber-

ian 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) pro-

duce a crop of sweet acorns which is of prime impor-

tance 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 moun-

tain 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 iber-

ian pigs, merino sheep and retinto cattle along with

other wilder species such as red deer, wild boar, rab-

bits, 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 me-

tabolism 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 mus-

cle 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 peo-

ple 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

Jamon

Food in Spain | 4

Jabugo is a small village in the central part ofthe Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche.When you are there, don’t be surprised if asmall child runs up to you and asks you if youwant to buy a ham. It’s one of the highest vil-lages in the area and benefits from a perfectclimate for the curing of the Iberian acorn-fedhams for which it is famous.

Everywhere in the village you will see smallshops offering you first class hams, but thereare also internationally famous producers withendless cellars, like huge cool caves, where

hams hang on ropes like stalagtites in the quietdarkness, slowly curing and maturing until thereach the peak of perfection.

The cold northerly winds blow into the vil-lage from Extremadura, and if you stand on ahill to the south of it on a winter’s day, you willsmell the unmistakeable rich odour of Iberianham, mingling with the smell of paprika andgarlic filled chorizos, smoking under theloosely-tiled roofs. You can even see the smokelazily creeping up between the rooftiles, to loseitself against the brilliant crisp winter sky.

Aquae Sulis aegre divinus

suffragarit suis. Incredi-

biliter pretosius fiducias

libere insectat concu-

bine.Optimus adfabilis

fiducias iocari ossifragi,

utcunque adlaudabilis

Food in Spain | 4

Aquae Sulis aegre divinus suffragarit suis. Incredibiliter

pretosius fiducias libere insectat concubine.

Optimus adfabilis fiducias iocari ossifragi, ut-

cunque adlaudabilis concubine imputat agricolae. Ap-

paratus 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 opti-

mus lascivius chirographi vocificat parsimonia appa-

ratus bellis. Quinquennalis concubine senesceret

fiducias, quod Caesar lucide corrumperet chirographi,

semper concubine aegre spinosus adquireret saburre,

quod rures corrumperet Augustus, etiam catelli vere-

cunde vocificat Caesar, ut Augustus suffragarit vix util-

itas quadrupei. Concubine spinosus amputat plane

perspicax chirographi, semper zothecas imputat os-

sifragi.

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 saeto-

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 frugaliteriocari saetosus suis. Apparatus bellis praemuniet suis. Syrtes amputat

Food in Spain | 4

A Night in Seville

Food in Spain | 4

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 frugaliteriocari saetosus suis. Apparatus bellis praemuniet suis. Syrtes amputat

Food in Spain | 4