One of the treats of Andalusia is the air dried ham.  Quite different from our NZ ham, this Jamon Serrano is dried in the mountain villages.  The most famous of which is Trevelez which was only 20 or so kms further up the valley from where we were staying at the tiny village of Ferreirola.

The population of Trevelez is only 1000, however with practically every soul there and in the surrounding area employed by the ham industry they manage to produce a staggering ONE MILLION hams per year, so I was told.

To air dry a ham you have to be at a minimum of 1000 metres above sea level and Trevelez boasts the highest air drying plant in Spain at very close to 1500m.  The large size hams sell at around 100 Euros each but of course keep for months and months hung up – as long as you happen to live at 1000m or higher, otherwise they transform back into meat and of course – go off.

A favourite dish of mine is Habas con Jamon which is basically incredibly young broad beans gently cooked in a lot of olive oil (surprise) and ham.  So glad my broad beans are growing strongly in the vege patch at home.  My Mum has sent me pics!