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When you love Jamón Ibérico, Madrid is like heaven on earth. The Spanish capital proudly provides a few of the best cured ham experiences on the earth, and you’ll find 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 a whole lot of granular particulars that make Jamón Ibérico particular.
Totally different Kinds of Spanish Ham
Spain produces two primary kinds of cured ham: Jamón Serrano and Jamón Ibérico. Jamón Serrano, constructed from white pigs, is extra frequent and has a barely milder taste.
Jamón Ibérico is constructed from rare-breed Iberian black pigs and is prized for its deep, nutty style.
The very best grade, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, comes from free-range pigs that feed completely on acorns, leading to unparalleled richness and complexity. It’s seen by connoisseurs as being the top cured ham expertise and thus comes at a stunningly excessive value.
The Curing Course of
Spanish ham undergoes a meticulous getting older course of that may final wherever 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, referred to as dehesas, the place they roam and feed on a weight loss plan wealthy in acorns (bellotas). This weight loss plan infuses the ham with candy, nutty flavors and contributes to the distinctive marbled fats, which is wealthy in oleic acid, much like additional virgin olive oil. Their meat is a direct expression of the Spanish terroir.
Learn how to Establish High quality Jamón
Excessive-quality Jamón Ibérico has deep purple meat with intricate marbling of golden fats, giving it a silky texture. The aroma is intense and nutty, an indication of correct getting older. When sliced, premium jamón must 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 stuffed with wonderful locations to take pleasure in Jamón Ibérico. But, I believe the next locations gives you an genuine style of this Spanish delicacy and a bit one thing additional.
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 inexpensive, genuine jamón expertise. Regardless of the slightly formal-sounding title, it’s an off-the-cuff, bustling setting, and I discover the servers to be fairly affable.
Their menu provides a variety of experiences, together with Jamón Ibérico platters, bocadillo ham sandwiches, and budget-friendly tapas. Of them, I believe the tapas expertise is essentially the most accessible and goes completely paired with a chilly caña beer.
For this, I discover it’s finest 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 quite a lot of Jamón Ibérico and different Spanish deli gadgets. It’s an awesome relaxed tasting expertise to allow you to pattern the genuine flavors with out blowing the price range.
I believe 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 offer you a real style of Spanish charcuterie.
It’s finest to go to Casa González within the late afternoon or early night. You’ll be able to then take pleasure in 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 in every of 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 comfy and intimate eating expertise.
I believe one of the simplest ways to expertise Bodega de los Secretos begins with their Jamón Ibérico tasting platters. They expertly pair it with aged Spanish wines that deliver 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 shifting 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 in every of Spain’s most prestigious jamón producers. They provide the chance to style a few of the best Jamón Ibérico on the earth, paired with wines and different basic Spanish dishes.
I believe 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 older 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.
Learn how to Take pleasure in Jamón Ibérico Like a Native
One of the simplest ways to eat Jamón Ibérico in Madrid is to take pleasure in 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 introduced on a picket board or slate plate, typically accompanied by picos crunchy breadsticks.
For an genuine Spanish expertise, it’s finest to pair Jamón Ibérico with a glass of sherry, cava, or purple wine. The dry sherry enhances the nuttiness of the cured ham, whereas a daring Ribera del Duero or Rioja enhances its depth.
Ultimate 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, the 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
