Jamon iberico

When Gwyneth Paltrow and celeb chef Mario Batali visited the region of Castilla y León on a recent episode of the PBS travel/foodie series “Spain…On the Road Again,” the non-red-meat-eating Paltrow titled her subsequent blog “What to Eat When Everyone’s Eating Jamon (Ham).”

Jamon iberico

“I don’t think it’s possible to live here and be vegetarian,” said Susana Rivera, our guide, on my first day in Spain, “at least in Castilla y León.” She’s right. Food is almost a religion in this region of rocky plains and mountains in the historic heart of central Spain. So it’s only natural that most of what you find on your plate is meat.

Jamón Ibérico–the finest cured ham that comes from free-range pata negra (black-foot) Iberian pigs, who are fattened on a diet of acorns. The nuts give the meat a unique taste, also producing a fat infused with oleic acid, the same “healthy” fat found in olive oil.

At Restaurant Casino del Tormes in Salamanca, considered one of the most spectacular Renaissance cities in Europe, the leg of ham is presented bone-in on a specially designed stand, and then reverently hand-carved in paper-thin slices. “You must slice it fresh,” says Rivera firmly, “no more than five minutes before serving and the meat must be covered so the fat doesn’t dry out.”

restau_tt_040909Equally worthy of worship is the Avila beef that comes from a special breed of cows raised on the high plains. I learned that when cattle don’t have to navigate hills, they aren’t muscle-bound and the meat is more tender. For Castilians, messing with a fine cut of meat by shaking on a whole lot of spices à la North America or—perish the though.

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