The Hunt for Jamon
A Spanish specialty keeps me coming back.
One of my favorite countries to visit is Spain. I have been twice, in 2018 and 2022. Both times, I have fallen in love with the land, the culture, and the food. The people are generally friendly, and most people in the service industry speak better English than I do (though I at least try to speak Spanish, which is always appreciated). It’s a country I look forward to visiting again soon.
But it is not just the great weather that I look forward to enjoying. Nor is it soaking in the history of the grand palaces and churches. Nor is it admiring the great works of art in the Prado Museum. While these are all great reasons, one thing keeps me dreaming of revisiting the country.
Ham.
Specifically, I’m talking about the culinary delight known as jamon iberico de boleta. Due to USDA restrictions, you can only get this ham through specialty stores and at a reasonably high price. So if you are an American, visiting Spain is the only way you will get your hands on jamon. You can buy it at the airport, but you won’t make it through customs (as one of the duty-free store employees informed me before I purchased a package to take home).
I first went to Spain in 2018 for a teacher training trip to prepare for my first student trip. I had heard about this…
