There is a long tradition of rich, delicious pork products in Spanish cuisine. Jamón iberico, or Iberian ham, is arguably the best of these. Authentic jamón is made from black Iberian pigs living in the mountains of Spain on a pure diet of bellotas (acorns). This jamón is not only good for the taste buds, but good for your health too. Various Spaniards have told me that this jamón lowers cholesterol. The acorns fed to the Iberian pigs change the fat to mono-unsaturated fats full of oleic acid (also present in another Spanish favorite, olive oil).
Although I find this porcine culture quite delicious, not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy it. Walking by specialty shops with patas negras—cured ham legs—hanging from the ceiling, my first thought was how authentically Spanish it felt. It wasn’t until a tour guide related to us the history of the hanging ham legs that I realized the frequent sight could be a bit unsettling to some.
Pork is an interesting type of meat because both Jewish and Islamic traditions restrict its consumption. The pig is called "unclean" and not included in the list of kosher animals in Judaism. Some verses in the Qur'an also prohibit pig. Since modern-day Spain is a very Catholic country, one might not see the problem with the prominent role of pork. However, Spain was not always so Catholic. Spain was under Moorish control for centuries before the Catholic monarchs took control and had an estimated 200,000 Jews as well.
In 1492, monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella issued the Alhambra Decree, which forced Jews to leave Spain, convert to Catholicism, or be killed; in 1501, they gave the same ultimatum to Muslims. After these decrees, religion was sharply monitored in Spain to assure that people had truly converted and all traces of other religious practices had been expelled. According to one Madrid tour guide, hanging ham legs became a practice not only in carnicerías, or meat shops, but also in completely non-meat related businesses to demonstrate one’s dedication to the Catholic faith, because ham legs would not be acceptable in a business run by Muslims or Jews. These days, I have only seen ham legs hanging from specialty shops, as the mandate obviously no longer stands. Although religious persecution is not the main reason for the popularity of ham in Spain, it can certainly give the sweet jamón de bellota a bitter taste.
Recently, however, the Spanish government has made efforts to right this wrong of Jewish expulsion. As of this week, descendants of Sephardic Jews (Spanish Jews) now have the opportunity to obtain dual-citizenship after having their Jewish heritage vetted by the Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities and passing a few more requirements to demonstrate a connection to Spain. Although this move by the Spanish government may be more symbolic than practical, it is a well-meaning attempt to correct the long history of anti-Semitism in the country.
Although there is still no sign of the Spanish government offering the same citizenship opportunity to descendants of expulsed Muslims, an organization called the Junta Islámica has long been working towards this same goal. The good news is that if descendants of expelled Muslims are in fact offered a path to citizenship in Spain, they can enjoy a halal version of jamón ibérico, made instead with lamb or beef by a man named Faysal Mrad Dali.
Samantha Gilmore graduated from Georgetown's Walsh School of Foreign Service in 2016 with a major in science, technology, and international affairs. From Austin, Texas, she spent the spring 2015 semester in Salamanca, Spain, where she studied Spanish literature and blogged for the Berkley Center's Junior Year Abroad Network.
