the finest ham to walk the earth
there are many types of iberico ham and according to the trusted authors at wikipedia
its the most expensive slice of pig you can get
in a restaurant a plate of thin slices was in the 16 euro range
per kilo from the markets it in the 50 euro range
a foreleg is about a 100
and a hindleg is about 150
my one regret is not getting a metre long smoked leg of pig with me
the long internal dialogues between the id ego and superego
got me credit-card shy
and i did not exit gudja brandishing pork limb
when the fork lifts a thin slice of this baby to the most important orifice in your body...
let me just say that it is very good
common consensus around the tables was that it is was superiour to parma ham
meaty
nutty
fibrous yet melty
the taste is delicate and solid at the same time
the black pigs are fed a varied diet and live a luxurious free-range life
well
for farm animals at least
their diets consist mostly of acorns
and the acorn is what imbues this ham with its magic sensory voodoo
some are fed more acorns and some less but in the end their destiny is one
to become the king and queens of the bacon realm
now i dont think i have ever tasted an acorn but the first time i will it will remind me of iberico ham and barcelona
and i think to myself
what happens if i raise a pig on pecans or almonds
or mangoes?
... caviar?!
alfredo
a spanish friend of mine from salamanca
where they have the most reputable of these hams told me this nice story about an experiment done on 2 groups of cloistered nuns
one fed iberico ham prolifically
and the other not at all
then they fed the nuns to the pigs again killed them
used them as fertilizer for oak trees and the acorns where fed back to the pigs and...
humourous fabrication stops here
the first group of ham fed nuns
reduced their blood pressure and cholesterol levels or something like that
due to the oleic acid in the iberico ham fat which arrives there from ingested acorns
now prior to barcelona i got alarming cholesterol level results from my doctor
although my blood pressure problem normalised
my cholesterol remained the same over a one year span
so you can second guess my ensuing logic
angel another spanish friend of mine
gave me the best souvenir i could get hold of
over a kilo of ham from the teruel area
he was quite clear
the ham from his hometown was better than the salamanca one
mostly to spite alfredo
but most importantly
it also has cholesterol reducing properties
i am sampling it everyday
in hope of a cholesterol-free future
i m also consuming those plant sterol yoghurt drinks that my doctor prescribed just to be on the safe side
hasta luego
or something to that effect
