Spain produces over 60 different types of cheeses, mostly from goat's and sheep's milk.
More Spanish Cheese Here
Focus on Chorizo P1
P2
 Chorizo, a cured pork sausage flavored with paprika and
garlic, is one of Spain's most important contributions to the culinary world.
With its full aroma, smoky edge and robust, warm spiciness, it is a key
ingredient in paella, Spanish omelets and stews. In short, it gives everything
it touches the feel of Spanish cooking.
While all chorizo has the same basic ingredients: pork, fat and paprika, not all
chorizo is made in exactly the same way. Some producers, including Palacios
(ours), do not actually smoke their sausages, rather they air-cure them.
Strangely, even air-cured chorizos have a mysteriously smoky quality. Also, not
all the chorizos sold in the United States are of the Spanish variety. Mexican
chorizo, which has a finer texture and forceful heat, and Portuguese chorizo,
which is softer, are also available in regional markets.
 Sadly, most chorizo sold in the US is not imported from Spain, Portugal or
Mexico. For a long time, chorizo was not approved for importing. In 1997 the
Department of Agriculture and the Spanish government finally gave one chorizo
maker, Palacios of Rioja, permission to enter the US market. The problem was,
and still is, that no slaughterhouses in Spain (and few anywhere in the world)
have won approval from the American authorities. Like other Spanish companies
that export pork products to the United States, Palacios must import its pork
from approved slaughterhouses in other European countries. Their pork comes from
Denmark, but is cured using the Spanish method then brought to Spain for final
production.
In Spain, the period from late fall through early spring is called the montanera,
or acorn season, when pigs feed on the acorns of these trees, each eating about
22 to 26 pounds of acorns a day. The Iberian pig, which is descended from the
wild boar of southern Europe, is not a handsome specimen. It has drooping ears,
a long snout, thin legs and dark hair. But its meat has a dense striping of fat
and intense flavor, which produces the most sought-after cured ham in Spain,
known as Serrano ham. The Iberian pig also provides pork for chorizo.
Despite its Danish pork content, Palacios chorizo, available in either sweet or
hot, is far superior to domestic brands. Like all foods with terroir, Palacios
chorizo has a little bit of the Spanish air and earth in its character. All of
this makes for a flavor distinguishable from almost any other chorizo. But for
the Iberian pork, it is the same type of chorizo one finds in the markets of
Spain. Next
For a limited time, iGourmet.com has put the Palacios chorizo on sale at $6.95.
Normally each 9.5 ounce chorizo sells for $8.45. offering this Spanish delight
at such a price is a great way to introduce it to more of our customers.
Click Here for more information.
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