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When you love Jamón Ibérico, Madrid is like heaven on earth. The Spanish capital proudly affords a number of the best cured ham experiences on the earth, and you will discover it in every single place. From bustling markets and conventional tapas bars to high-end eating places and specialty outlets, you’ll really feel spoiled for alternative having fun with Jamón in your Madrid meals tour.  

What Makes Jamón Ibérico Particular?

Like all high-quality ingredient, there are loads of granular particulars that make Jamón Ibérico particular.

Totally different Sorts of Spanish Ham

Spain produces two principal forms of cured ham: Jamón Serrano and Jamón Ibérico. Jamón Serrano, comprised of white pigs, is extra widespread and has a barely milder taste.

Jamón Ibérico is comprised of rare-breed Iberian black pigs and is prized for its deep, nutty style.

The best grade, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, comes from free-range pigs that feed solely on acorns, leading to unparalleled richness and complexity. It’s seen by connoisseurs as being the head cured ham expertise and thus comes at a stunningly excessive worth.

The Curing Course of

Spanish ham undergoes a meticulous getting old course of that may final anyplace from two to 4 years. It begins with the meat being salt-cured, after which dried, and hung in curing cellars the place the local weather naturally enhances its texture and taste. This sluggish maturation permits the fats to interrupt down, making a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth expertise with intense umami depth.

Why Iberian Pigs Are Distinctive

Black Iberian pigs are native to Spain and Portgugal and are the important thing to the distinctive high quality of Jamón Ibérico. These pigs are raised free-range in oak forests, often called dehesas, the place they roam and feed on a food plan wealthy in acorns (bellotas). This food plan infuses the ham with candy, nutty flavors and contributes to the distinctive marbled fats, which is wealthy in oleic acid, just like further virgin olive oil. Their meat is a direct expression of the Spanish terroir.

Tips on how to Establish High quality Jamón

Excessive-quality Jamón Ibérico has deep crimson meat with intricate marbling of golden fats, giving it a silky texture. The aroma is intense and nutty, an indication of correct getting old. When sliced, premium jamón ought to be barely translucent, with the fats melting at room temperature. When you maintain it in your fingers for greater than 30 seconds, you’ll even discover a slight change within the fatty texture of the meat simply from the warmth of your fingers.

Greatest Locations to Eat Jamón Ibérico in Madrid

Madrid is filled with superb locations to get pleasure from Jamón Ibérico. But, I feel the next locations provides you with an genuine style of this Spanish delicacy and a bit of one thing further.

Museo del Jamón

Picture credit score: Museo del Jamón

Museo del Jamón has a number of places in Madrid and is a culinary establishment providing an reasonably priced, genuine jamón expertise. Regardless of the fairly formal-sounding title, it’s an off-the-cuff, bustling setting, and I discover the servers to be fairly affable.

Their menu affords a variety of experiences, together with Jamón Ibérico platters, bocadillo ham sandwiches, and budget-friendly tapas. Of them, I feel the tapas expertise is essentially the most accessible and goes completely paired with a chilly caña beer.

For this, I discover it’s greatest to go to Museo del Jamón within the afternoon or earlier than dinner to whet your urge for food.

Museo del Jamón (€10–20) – C. Mayor, 7, Centro, 28013 Madrid, Spain.

Casa González

Picture credit score: Casa González

This can be a historic connoisseur deli and wine bar in Madrid’s Barrio de las Letras that provides a wide range of Jamón Ibérico and different Spanish deli objects. It’s a fantastic relaxed tasting expertise to allow you to pattern the genuine flavors with out blowing the finances.

I feel the go-to merchandise right here is the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. It’s served on picket boards with artisan cheeses and paired with Spanish wines to present you a real style of Spanish charcuterie.

It’s greatest to go to Casa González within the late afternoon or early night. You possibly can then get pleasure from a laid-back tapas expertise and a glass of wine, with loads of time to make your dinner reservation.

Casa González (€15–30) – C. del León, 12, Centro, 28014 Madrid, Spain.

Bodega de los Secretos

Picture credit score: Bodega de los Secretos

Bodega de los Secretos is one among Madrid’s hidden gems for Jamón Ibérico and different Spanish classics, in addition to having fun with genuine Spanish wine. It’s housed in a restored Seventeenth-century wine cellar, providing a comfortable and intimate eating expertise.

I feel one of the best ways to expertise Bodega de los Secretos begins with their Jamón Ibérico tasting platters. They expertly pair it with aged Spanish wines that carry out the terroir and depth of taste within the cured meat.

The underground ambiance makes for a novel, romantic setting excellent for savoring premium cured meats. The best plan is to make reservations for dinner that begins with Jamón Ibérico wine earlier than transferring into their different Spanish basic entrees.

Bodega de los Secretos (€30–50) – Calle de San Blas, 4, Centro, 28014 Madrid, Spain.

Joselito’s Velázquez

Picture credit score: Joselito’s Velázquez

Joselito’s Velázquez is a high-end restaurant and deli from Joselito, which is one among Spain’s most prestigious jamón producers. They provide the chance to style a number of the best Jamón Ibérico on the earth, paired with wines and different basic Spanish dishes.

I feel the factor to order right here is their unique jamón tasting menu. It took me by way of a tasting tour showcasing totally different getting old processes and totally different areas. Additionally they do a tremendous job of pairing them with accent dishes like their signature Tomate Pure Con Papada Joselito and torrija caramelizada.

Joselito’s Velázquez (€30–50) – Calle Velázquez, 30, Salamanca, 28001 Madrid, Spain.

Tips on how to Take pleasure in Jamón Ibérico Like a Native

The easiest way to eat Jamón Ibérico in Madrid is to get pleasure from it thinly sliced and at room temperature. This permits the fats to melt and launch its full taste. Many tapas bars and specialty jamonerías serve it by itself, usually offered on a picket board or slate plate, generally accompanied by picos crunchy breadsticks.

For an genuine Spanish expertise, it’s greatest to pair Jamón Ibérico with a glass of sherry, cava, or crimson wine. The dry sherry enhances the nuttiness of the cured ham, whereas a daring Ribera del Duero or Rioja enhances its depth.

Last Ideas: Why Jamón Lovers Should Go to Madrid

Madrid is a paradise for jamón lovers, providing numerous alternatives to style genuine Jamón Ibérico at its best. From historic taverns and connoisseur markets to specialty outlets and Michelin-starred eating places, town offers an unparalleled jamón expertise that’s straightforward to include right into a Madrid meals tour.

Sources:

Consuming Europe. (n.d.). Madrid meals excursions. https://www.eatingeurope.com/madrid/

Museo del Jamón. (n.d.). Museo del Jamón. https://www.museodeljamon.com/en/

Bodega de los Secretos. (n.d.). Bodega de los Secretos. http://www.bodegadelossecretos.com/

Casa González. (n.d.). Casa González. https://casagonzalez.madrid

Joselito. (n.d.). Joselito. https://www.joselito.com/en/joselitos-en