Now that a couple have days have gone by, I'm starting to get settled at my new house and in León in general. I've really gotten to know my family here, and they are all incredible! Cristina, the daughter, and I have so much in common, and we have found plenty to talk about. My spanish is also improving- now when I ask what someone did last weekend, it doesn't sound so much like "Saturday.....pizza.....went.....river......late.....friends.....you?". And hopefully when I speak it is a bit more coherent than that, too!
Yesterday morning I woke up at 10, much earlier than anyone else in the house, and decided to go for a run. What I didn't know, though, was that eagles attack you here. A fully grown, HUGE eagle. I had accidentally run too far down the mountain (they live on a mountain about fifteen minutes outside of León), so I turned around to run back and I felt something tug at my hair. I looked around, and no one was there, so I looked up and saw an eagle flying in circles above my head. I stopped running to watch it, and it dived and tried to attack me again! I swear that was the scariest thing of my entire life- I felt like I was in a Spanish version of a Hitchcock movie. I screamed and flailed my arms and ran for dear life, and finally it flew away. I ran straight home, and when I told my family, they started cracking up! I was petrified and they didn't believe that could actually happen. Apparently there are hardly every eagles in this area. So glad I was the one to find the few that do live here.
After recovering from my traumatic bird attack, Cristina, Conchi and I went into León to do the meat shopping for the week. I have never seen anything like these meat shops, which they call "carnisserias". There is a store for every kind of meat, chicken, steak, pork, fish, etc., so we stopped at three different ones to do the shopping. In every store, the walls and shelves are lined with all different cuts of meat, and pre-made meat dishes of every kind imaginable. It was a bit overwhelming, but at least Conchi knew what she was looking for, so we got in and out pretty quickly. Whew. I wasn't sure how many Pablo's I could see before I never eat again!
Later, after a big lunch and a long nap, Cristina I went into León to have coffee and meet all, or rather, most, of her friends. They are amazing! Everyone was so nice and welcoming, and although kind of crazy, they seem very excited to have me here for the month :) That is such a good feeling, since I wasn't quite sure what I'd be up to these next few weeks. My only complaint is how much everyone smokes cigarrettes, even the teenagers. Its very normal here, but I'm just not used to the smell around me all the time. Oh well, just one more thing to get used to. We stayed and wandered around the gorgeous streets of León until around 10:30 (it stays light out until around 11!), and finally took the bus back to her house.
Once again we had a late but delicious dinner! Conchi literally cooks all day long, so there is always something gourmet and authentic to eat. After dinner we watched The Simpsons in spanish (which is actually hilarious) and went to bed a little earlier than the night before.
Today, all of Cristina's friends came to the pool in her neighborhood to hang out, swim, and have a late, or I guess normal time for them, lunch. I met some more new people, and had so much fun swimming, laying out in the sun, and laughing with her friends. They all left around 9:30, and so now I am home updating my blog!
Off to dinner in a few, so bye bye for now. And sorry, no pictures yet. I'm technologically inept, especially in another language.
Ciao!
Hi Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is so great to read. Thanks for all the details. Your family sounds fun, nice, and well fed! I hope you continue to enjoy your stay. That pig leg in the kitchen is likely jamon, dry cured Spanish ham, a real delicacy (sort of like Italian prosciutto). The area where you are is famous for its jamon. I pasted below some more information about it since we Jews are not connoisseurs of ham!
Love you,
Auntie Lisa
Spanish ham is greatly prized as a gourmet food both in Spain and around the world. It is eaten regularly in most Spanish households. In fact, not only is Spain the largest producer of air-dried-cured ham, Spaniards are the number one consumers in the world! Every Spaniard eats about 5 kilograms of cured ham per year. That is double what the Italians eat. There are various types of cured ham in Spain, ranging in price from economical to very expensive. Grocery stores, sausage shops and supermarkets all sell various types of ham and many will not be of a Denomination of Origin. That does not mean it does not great tasting, but it simply did not pass the strict quality control standards.
Ham is historically important food, dried and cured with salt for centuries. The people of the Iberian Peninsula ate pork and ham in their diet, even in the Roman era. However, when the Moors conquered the Peninsula, because of their religious beliefs, eating pork was prohibited. After the Christians regained control and forced the Muslims and Jews to either convert or go into exile, pork regained its popularity.
Types of Cured Spanish Ham
There are basically two different types of cured hams in Spain, jamón serrano or “mountain ham,” and jamón ibérico or “Iberian ham.”
Jamón Serrano - There are almost 2,000 producers of Serrano ham in Spain. Eighteen of these producers formed the Consorcio de Jamón Serrano Español in 1990. The name Jamón Serrano is now controlled by the European Union since the year 2000 and it protects the processing of this product, although it does not apply to a specific region. Look for the label that has an "S" in the shape of a ham, and says SERRANO ESPAÑOL if you want to buy Jamón Serrano from the consortium. The mountain or Serrano ham is made from several different breeds of white pigs, such as Duroc, Landrace or Large White. They are fed mainly cereals and cured from 7 to 16 months.
Jamón Ibérico – This ham is made only from the Iberian pig. The breeding of the Iberian pig is restricted to an area in Southwestern Spain and Southeastern Portugal. Although fed some cereals, these pigs also roam countryside and feed on acorns. The curing process lasts from 14 to 36 months.
Denominations of Origin and Quality Control
Ham is such a treasured food that not only are there several Denominations of Origin, but there is even a chain of Museos de Jamón or “Ham Museums” around Spain! The Denomination of Origin of Teruel (in Aragon) was the first granted by Spain’s Department of Agriculture in 1984. Since then, other Denominations of Origin for ham have been granted. As with all Denominations of Origin, there is strict control of the quality of the product. For example, in order to carry the name jamón de Teruel, the regulations of the Denomination of Origin of Teruel cover every stage of the process, including the following: The pigs must be of a certain breed, be fed only cereals and grains of the local region, be of a certain weight when slaughtered, and spend 14 months curing in Teruel. While curing, they must pass a number of quality control checks, as well.
Besides Teruel, other areas are well-known for their excellent ham:
Trevelez (a small village in the Sierra Nevada) which is located in the highest peak in Spain
Girona province in the region of Cataluña
Soria province in the region of Castilla-Leon
Thanks Aunt Lisa!! Its interesting to read about their foods here, which are so different from the kind of food we are used to eating (especially Jewish food)!
ReplyDeleteLove you!