¡Bienvenido de vuelta chicos! As we enter week two of our Spanish tour, I hope you all should have had ample time to explore this beautiful country, but now we must convene for our next meal together.
Now that we have all settled in, let’s go for a real Spanish classic this time, jamón y manchego. Jamón is a very thinly sliced Spanish style ham and manchego is a special cheese made from the milk of a manchega breed sheep, a breed native to Spain. Often paired with a wine, this dish is generally eaten as a snack or an appetizer before a meal. Another popular option is to create bocadillos out of them, which are just small sandwiches that can be eaten as an appetizer or a small lunch.
Now I’m going to break it down a bit. For the jamón, it is just a very thinly sliced piece of ham that is salted and dried for weeks before distribution. It is not flakey however, it is more like a chewy consistency than a crunchy, but not chewy in a bad way, understand? It is delicious and loved by many! For the manchego, it is a creamy cheese. Because it is sheep’s milk, it has a sharp taste and a little aftertaste, but being the cheese connoisseur as I am, I absolutely love it!
As I have said before, bocadillos are small sandwiches like the one seen above and are eaten just as a small snack. Like any country, these sandwiches can be filled with many different meats, cheeses, vegetables, sauces, so of course the Spanish would have to create a jamón y manchego bocadillo, it would only be right! However, while the two items together are essentially a match made in heaven, I do have to say that after about five consecutive meals (excluding breakfast) that included jamón y manchego, I did get tired of it. Alright, alright, don’t beat me up for it, I’m just sharing my opinion! While many Americans think of this dish as a staple and essential of Spanish culture, it did get a bit repetitive for me. But in no way should my opinion discourage you from enjoying this dish. It is honestly, a wonderful dish that explodes with exciting and sharp contrasting flavors that complement each other perfectly. Take a bite out of this pairing and you are sure to love!
Until next week guys and gals, continue exploring the country, but try not to over-do it on the jamón y manchego like I did. I want you all to enjoy it in three weeks! Have fun, y hasta luego.
-Lauhrinse
P.S. There’s no link to this recipe because you can’t make ham or cheese yourselves so… If you want to buy some go to tienda.com