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lishing our suspense.) Instead we nibble on lardolike
papada, spicy chorizo, salchichón – the most
basic of pork sausages seasoned with nothing more
than salt and pepper – and a rich morcilla (blood
sausage) accompanied by Deutz champagne.
ALDEBARÁN IN BADAJOZ is the only restaurant in the
region that serves País de Quercus ham and occupies
an unlikely spot on the outskirts of town
at the end of a row of nondescript restaurants
and fast-food joints. The Moulin Rouge-styled
dining room’s pink-red walls, crystal chandeliers,
starched white tablecloths, silver cutlery and fine
china are, however, a suitably theatrical setting
for such a hotly awaited entrance.
When two large porcelain plates of gossamerthin
País de Quercus jamón are brought out and
placed on the table, our little gathering – Tristancho
and his friend Violeta; a local sommelier,
Piedad, and her boyfriend Antonio, the owner of
a gin-and-tonic bar in Badajoz – falls silent. The
ham is the same color as the walls of the dining
room, streaked with silvery fat, perfectly ob long,
and so intensely flavored and sweet that it catches
in your throat the same way something spicy does.
Rest a strip of it on the top of your hand and the
fat really does melt into something like a herby
oil. There’s also lomo Ibérico doblado (pork tenderloin
rubbed with smoked paprika and folded
over a strip of pork fat – manteca – that gives it a
buttery texture) and a flowery local cava, Via de la
Plata, to wash it down.
And so it goes: arroz caldoso (rice soup) infused
with pork stock and magro Ibérico (lean pork
meat) and chopped, raw green peppers; cochinillo
(slow-roasted suckling pig) on a bed of candied
lemon peel and a lime sauce vierge. Piedad
chooses a robust, local Tempranillo from the Ribera
del Guadiana packed with blackcurrant and
licorice. Around the table everyone smiles con -
tentedly: “a miracle of nature” indeed. �
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SCANORAMA DECEMBER 2012/JANUARY 2013 95