Tapas also often consists of many different cured meats you can pair with crackers or bread. Cured meats are special because they are prepared in a way that makes them last longer and taste delicious. They use salt, spices, and sometimes smoke to keep the meat fresh without needing to refrigerate it all the time. Some popular cured meats you might recognize are pepperoni, salami, or ham, which you can enjoy in sandwiches or on pizza! The most popular meats ordered with tapas are jamón ibérico and prosciutto, and I ended up ordering the jamón ibérico to try something new! I love proscuitto, which can even be found in grocery markets back home in the U.S.! The jamón ibérico came with picos, which are crunchy crackers that are normally paired with your tapas. Last, I ordered the carillada guisada con patatas, which is braised pork with potatoes.
I was so excited to be able to try tapas for the first time! The menu was a little overwhelming becuase there were so many options to choose from. The tostada con tomate was very light and felt like a safe choice. I was kind of expecting it to taste like marinara sauce on pizza, but the tomato sauce was not very salty and tasted exactly like a tomato jam, delicious and very light. The jamón ibérico had a lot of flavor and tasted completely different to the hams I'm used to. It was very thinly sliced and tasted savory and melted in my mouth. The jamón ibérico is easy to finish quickly because it is thin and so tasty! I wanted to eat all of it myself without sharing! It tastes especially good wrapped around the picos, which are the crackers.
