American World Traveler Spring 2018 Issue

16
Around The World
(in 18 pages)
Oberammergau Passion Play, Germany 2020
by Jennifer Merrick
Iberian Cured Ham
Iberian cured ham comes only from pure-bred Iberian pigs or
Duroc-Jersey crosses with 75% Iberian blood.
The pig has played the leading role in Spanish cuisine and culture,
above all in rural Spain, where it has been a fundamental part of
the meat diet. It is the only animal from which absolutely everything
is used.
Cured ham is the most important pork product obtained from the
Iberian pig. The amount and composition of the fat are determining
factors in the final quality of meat products and especially
cured ham. This can be seen in the white streaks that appear and
provides juiciness.
Making ham begins with the curing process to eliminate moisture
and achieve the natural fusion of the fats during maturing, when
the aromas and flavours characteristic of cured ham appear.
Products from Iberian pigs fed with acorns are excellent. In Spain
there are four Protected Designations of Origin for Iberian cured
ham: Guijuelo, in Salamanca and Extremadura, cured ham from La
Dehesa in Extremadura, cured ham from Huelva, in Huelva and
Extremadura and cured ham from Los Pedroches, a new designation,
from Córdoba.
China Tourism Introduces
New Brand Logo
China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) has made
“Beautiful China” the tag line of its tourism and introduced a
new global brand logo. With an overall look as a stamp, the
new logo integrates modern messaging with the ancient
Chinese art form of calligraphy. The hieroglyph in the background
means “travel” in ancient Chinese language, which shows a flag guiding a couple around.
The blue color represents the sky, delivering China tourism’s concepts - vitality, harmony and
green travel. The red color gives tribute to the Chinese civilization that has been going on for
thousands of years. Illustrating an international vision, the “Beautiful China” logo represents
China’s promising and welcoming tourism industry.
Beginning Ash Wednesday 2019, barbers in the Bavarian
hamlet of Oberammergau in southern Germany will have
considerably more leisure time than usual as half the village’s
population will not be cutting their hair until October,
2020. Why? Because the inhabitants will be actors in the
42nd Oberammergau Passion Play.
This momentous event is the longest continuing theatre tradition
in the world, going back to the year 1633, when villagers
pledged to perform the suffering, death and resurrection
of Christ every 10 years in return for divine protection
from the plague. Today, over 450,000 visitors from
around the world are expected to witness this spectacle,
which is staged exclusively by the townsfolk.
“If you would like to be part of it, you have to be born here
or live here for at least 20 years,” says Christian Stückl, the
play’s director. Stückl, who has been directing the Passion
Play since 1990, says that he is “always looking around the
village with casting eyes,” scouting Oberammergauers who
might fit the role of a Roman soldier, priest or even Jesus
himself.
It promises to be a stellar production with 102 performances
scheduled at the Oberammergau Passion Play Theatre.
For more information, visit www.germany.travel/en/events.
American World Traveler Spring 2018