Jamón! Jamón! Everywhere!

February 27, 2011 1:01 PM local time

Yesterday, I went with other students from other language schools on an excursion to Las Alpujarras. These are small towns in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Granada. Our guide spoke only in Spanish but I understood most of what he said. I believe he said that these towns were formed when the Muslims were pushed out of/fled Granada. That was the impression I got anyway.

We toured the towns, learned a little about their history and culture, and were able to sample some local fare. In one town, we tried the jamón (salt cured ham) and vino (wine). In another town, we had lunch. I knew my regular lunch would be waiting for me at the apartment when I got back so I went light on the lunch and had a salad. Plus, I was not feeling well from sitting in the back of the van driving on the curviest roads I’ve ever seen. After lunch, we were able to tour a jamóm making facility.

At this facility, there were three types jamóm processed. The Serrano type comes from the back legs of a cerdo blanco (white hog) that is from a large commercial hog feeding facility. It takes them about 8 months to fatten up to the right size. The jamóm of the front legs is referred to as patetillla. The third type is Ibérico, which comes from a cerdo negro (black hog) that is from a small farm and has eaten a steady diet of acorns. These hogs take about 2 years to fatten up and this jamóm is very expensive. The jamóm is cured at a rate of one day per pound in only salt. They are then maintained in facility at low temperatures for times of up to two years. Before being sold, each jamóm is marked with its type and how long it was in the facility. I should mention that this facility is in the highest town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains which helps to keep temperature cool in the building. The top peak of these mountains is at 11,411 feet. For reference, the highest peak in the Rockies is 14,440 feet and in the Smokies is 6643 feet. So, these are some pretty high mountains.

The facility was immaculately clean. You will notice in the pictures that the floors are white marble tile. I’ve noticed there is a lot of marble and other stone used throughout this area. Heck, even the Burger King had white marble columns.

There is also a picture of the ceiling from the restaurant which had about 8 billion jamómes hanging from it. Each had a little cup poked in the end. This is for in the summer months when the jamómes “sweat” grease.

The houses in the Las Alpujarras were old. Really old. Like made-of-stone old. Most were painted white and had roofs made of large stones. On top of these large stones was frequently a smaller gravel. The houses were really piled on top of each other and felt like they could fall off the mountain side at any moment. Most of the houses had a short first floor as this was where the animals were kept when the houses were first built. The people then lived on the second floor. Most streets in these towns were too narrow for cars and many had a mountain and rain water drainage system running down the middle. Many houses and businesses also had beaded curtains hanging in the doorway. This not only blocked the sun but mosquitoes will not pass through them. This is an alternative to a screen door.

The picture with the large stone basins is the old Laundromat. The water would run down from the mountains into the basins and the ladies would launder the clothes in there.

Today is Sunday and I’m planning to just relax and rest up. Tomorrow we do not have school as it is a holiday, the day that celebrates this region of the country. I’m hoping that in the next two days, I can do a little studying, some reading for pleasure, soak up a little sun, and maybe see a movie.