Spanish Cuisine #5: Montaditos de Jamòn Serrano y Queso

It may seem strange, but today it has been the first time I have bought one of the most typical (and tasty) Spanish product: the Jamón Serrano, or raw ham. Not that I had never tried it, as in the few occasions I have eaten out I'd had my fair share of this delicious kind of cold cuts. Although, I had never tried and buy some to prepare something on my own. Of course, it is a good idea to look out for the different varieties and the relative prices, as the most selected pieces of Jamòn Serrano may cost up to the exorbitant price of 50 Euros per kilogram (such as the famous Pata Negra). Anyway, it is also possible to find raw ham of good quality at the reasonable price of 15-20 Euros per kilogram.

Though Jamon Serrano may also be included in a lot of elaborated recipes, in my opinion there is no point at all in it. Indeed, the taste of this ham is so appetizing that it would probably be a waste to cover it up with a blend of other flavours. As a consequence, I thought that a simple appetizer, featuring also another typical Spanish product, a typical cheese from Mallorca called Mahòn (thought it is also possible to use another classic, the so-called Queso Manchego).

Ingredients: Bread (whole meal bread may also be used), jamon serrano (raw ham), cheese.

Time of preparation: 10 minutes

Difficult: Easy

Cooking: 10 minutes

Therefore, my final pick was a typical Spanish starter, called Montaditos, basically consisting in small pieces of toasted bread with cheese and ham on top of it. Of course, the preparation for it is not difficult at all. On the contrary, it is so trivial that I hardly need to describe it. Anyway: put the bread cut into pieces in a frying pan to toast, while in another frying pan (or in the same one as well) you will let the cheese melt for a while. Finally, put the raw ham on the bread and spread the cheese on top of it.

As the preparation as been so easy, we might make this post more interesting by saying something more about its main ingredient. As previously stated, Jamòn Serrano is one of the most famous Spanish products in the world. Indeed, Spain competes with Italy for the role of major exporter of cold cuts not only in Europe but in the whole world. Literally, its name means "Mountain Ham", due to the fact that most of its varieties are produced in mountainous areas, where it is possible to find the best conditions for the curing process. Some of the most famous varieties of Jamòn Serrano are from Andalucìa, more specifically from the provinces of Huelva and Granada. At any rate, it is possible to find excellent products in the rest of Spain as well. By the way, it is useful to remember that the other main best-known variety of ham, the cooked one, is called Jamòn dulce or Jamòn de York. Though obviously very tasty as well, it is not as good as the cured one, which is doubtlessly the ham par excellence in Spain.

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