Jamón is not meat, it’s Jamón!

This was a running joke in my Spanish class with one of our vegetarian cohorts. She was discussing the availability of vegetarian dishes in Spain. Our teacher, Rosa said, “Jamón is not meat, it’s Jamón!!!!”

There is a national obsession with this tasty, salty food. In the attached photo, you can see numerous Jamón legs hanging in one of the oldest barres in Granada, Bodegas Castañeda. It has an old dark wood long barre with most people standing to order and eat.

It feels a bit crazy in these types of places but I will write about tapas culture in another post.

Back to Jamon...there are definitely different levels of excellence when it comes to Jamón.

To read more, see this link:

https://www.tienda.com/learn-about-spain/how-to-choose-a-spanish-jamon

There is even a chain of restaurants in Madrid called el Museo del Jamon, elevating it in words to art work! While I appreciate this tasty treat, I find very similar eating fares in Spain, at least in the south. Another discussion about spices in my Spanish class with a different teacher highlighted Spain’s use of salt for many of its flavors including Jamon, cheese, olives, etc...

I do think however, that just like in other parts of the world, as more people come here, they also bring their flavors. Some other types of restaurants are popping up here and there. No matter where you go, buen aproveche!