Forget tapas of the week, this could be tapas of the year!
How to describe tocino? The dictionary says ‘fat’, but that is like describing caviar simply as ‘fish eggs’. Let’s see, you know the white around the edge of ham that your mum always tried to persuade you was the best bit when you were young? It’s the same stuff, and guess what, it turns out she was right.
Tocino Iberico, however, the delicate fat that warms the flanks of Iberian pigs as they forage for acorns in cork forests, is in a league of its own. The photo above was taken in the wonderful Cumbres Mayores tapas bar in Cadiz, where these inconceivably thin slices of tocino, streaked with a fissure of ham, were warmed slightly in the oven and served on curled up bread sticks. The tocino literally melted on the tounge, a smokey, acorney, subtle delight. Forget the fish eggs, you can give me pig fat like this any day of the week.
Would you eat the white around this ham?
celia stevenson
24 May 07 at 8:38 pm
yum yum.Sounds like you had a wonderful time in Cadiz!
ValenciaSon
25 May 07 at 3:13 am
Isn’t tocino, bacon?
Ben
25 May 07 at 10:05 am
Celia – certainly did!
VS – similar to bacon, but more fat!
Alex
25 May 07 at 6:22 pm
I never had the chance to have this form, but my señora would offer us tocino with our cocido. It wasn’t fried, nor was there any meat attached to it…it was just a slab of fat from which she cut two-inch thick servings. the first time, i ate it because i didn’t know what it was. the second, i had to refuse. it was the ONLY thing my señora served that i didn’t eat. i don’t know, i just couldn’t do it=/
Edith
27 May 07 at 9:16 am
Hm, thanks but no thanks.
Alvaro
7 Jun 07 at 7:37 am
@Alex, Edith: You’re not talking about the same thing! The ‘tocino’ usually put in the ‘cocido’ is the cheapest you can get in a supermarket, just to add a bit of flavor. In ancient times, people ate it b/c “it’s a sin to throw it away”. I think it’s utterly disgusting too. But what Ben talks about… oh my, that’s completely different! Different kind of pigs (best Iberian pigs fed with acorns) make a different product: probably one of the best things you’ll ever eat! It melts in your mouth… It’s side by side with my two all-time favorites: Iberian ham and ‘lomo iberico’ (Iberian loin?).
I must add that I’m Spanish, I’ve been in the US for a year and my mouth waters just from thinking about these things
Sampson
12 Jun 07 at 8:44 am
The one item my Señora made that I had to refuse (I said ‘tenido un resaca’) was fried blood. At first my senses told me it was okay, but then the flavor bursted through me and my body started to tingle. I didn’t know what I was eating at the time but my stomach told me I should stop. It must be one of those tastes you acqure, like cranberry juice. :-}
Maria Shipley
16 Jun 07 at 11:09 pm
This looks very good to me. It probably is not a healthy thing to eat, but taken in moderation, it will be fine.
I usually don’t eat late at night, but THAT picture really makes me hungry right now!
elaine
1 Sep 08 at 5:28 am
thAnkS a lOt…it reAllY a goOd heLp fOr me…