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Hungering for Jamón

BY LEIGH KUNKEL American chefs are discovering the many flavors and applications of Spanish pork.

SPANISH PORK IS THE STAR OF MANY TAPAS, INCLUDING CHARCUTERIE BOARDS.

ADOBE STOCK

CHAMPAGNE. KOBE BEEF. Single malt scotch. Some things are so special, so tied to the terroir of their homeland that they cannot be replicated elsewhere. For Spaniards, that food is jamón ibérico, the meat of black-footed pigs native to the Iberian Peninsula made fat by a diet of acorns and then cured for anywhere from 20 to 27 months. For many years, restaurants and consumers couldn’t get jamón ibérico in the U.S. because of export laws. While that’s no longer the case, imports are still

restricted, and some enterprising Ameri can purveyors are trying to replicate the ingredient, whether by importing Ibe rian black-footed pigs or mimicking the curing process. These tactics have incited some back lash from Spanish producers because pork, in all its forms, is foundational to the country’s cuisine. Time and again, the signature protein proves that while it may be one of a kind in taste and qual ity, it encompasses a multitude of menu applications.

“The versatility of pork is its strength,” says Aubree Arndt, chef at Broma in Mountain View, California. “It’s lean but flavorful; it’s between light and dark meat; it can be braised, grilled, seared, rendered, smoked, cured. … Even the fat is extremely tasty.” Small bites One of the best-known styles of Span ish cuisine is tapas—communal small plates—and pork is omnipresent. At Tropezón in Miami, the tapas selection

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