No true Spanish meal is complete without a plate of salchichón, chorizo, or Jamón 100% Ibérico de Bellota. From barbecues to dinner parties, to a late-night tapas crawl, delicious charcuterie is an integral part of the Spanish summer.
Because it’s portable and lightweight, packs of sliced cured meats let you experience some of the most characteristic flavors of Spanish cuisine anywhere you fancy. They are ideal for when you don’t have a chance to prepare beachtime snacks. They are a wonder for upgrading your hiking or camping experience. And they elevate a typical barbecue to deliciously outstanding levels that will impress your fellow party-goers.
You don’t have to stand over the stove all day to have a gourmet Spanish meal. You can easily bring a taste of Spain into your everyday summer life with the portable luxury of Iberian cured meats. Below we share with you how to flawlessly incorporate these Spanish delicacies into your favorite summertime activities. There’s really no place where cured meats don’t fit in.
The Journey is Shorter with Sliced Cured Meat
Traveling can be a grueling experience when it comes to finding the right food for the journey. Road trips are often filled with fast food and unhealthy snacks, and plane food is not especially top-quality. So why not bring along some Spanish cured meats on your journey?
You can easily travel with a few packs of salchichón for a rest stop snack in the car, or open up a pack of lustrous jamón on the plane. We just can’t guarantee that someone won’t ask you to share your gourmet bounty.
Enjoy the Beach with Sliced Cured Meat
With so many miles of coastline, summer in Spain means long days spent at the beach. There’s nothing like getting to lunchtime and having a pack of cured meats to devour in the warm sunshine with your toes in the sand. You can eat chorizo, salchichón, and jamón all on their own, or wrap them up in a baguette for an Iberian sandwich. No matter the beach you’re relaxing on, you’ll be transported to the Spanish coast with just a few bites.
Hike with Sliced Cured Meat
Whether you’re roughing it on a long backpacking trip through the wilderness, or wandering on a calm trail through the mountains, everything tastes better in the great outdoors. And that includes Spanish cured meats.
Lightweight and easy-to-prepare foods become especially important in this setting. You don’t want to be weighed down with heavy packs on the trail. That’s where sliced cured meats come in. Why bring granola bars or dehydrated cups of subpar camping food when you could be eating heavenly slices of peppered Iberian salchichón?
Cured meat is easy to pack, is incredibly lightweight, and provides a great source of protein and energy when you need it most. It sets you up with an extravagant summer hiking or camping experience, as though you were wandering through the Iberian meadows and mountains like a true Spaniard.
Barbecue with Sliced Cured Meat
Turn a typical American barbecue into a Spanish one with an impressive plate of jamón, salchichón, and chorizo. No need to prepare something in advance or worry about precariously transporting dishes to a friend’s house. You won’t even need a knife or a cutting board. Simply snag a pack of sliced cured meats and lay them out for all to share.
If you’re feeling especially indulgent, place slices of your favorite cured meats on those steaks or hamburgers coming off the grill, or even over grilled veggies and potato salad for the ultimate Spanish-style barbecue.
Picnic with Sliced Cured Meat
Take your picnic to the next level with slices of paprika-laced chorizo, peppery salchichón, and delectable Jamón 100% Ibérico de Bellota. You’ll feel like you’re lunching in Parque Retiro in the center of Madrid.
Spread the Spanish Love
There’s no better way to enjoy sliced cured Iberian meats than with friends and family. Bring them to a party and they’ll be the highlight of the spread. Gift them to the host or a friend. Or have people over for heavy hors d’oeuvres in the backyard with a big charcuterie board full of cured meats and other Spanish delicacies. Like they say in Spain, compartir es vivir. Or, to share is to live.
Pairings for Cured Sliced Meat
The options are practically endless when it comes to summertime food preparations for your sliced cured meats. Check out a few portable pairings, as well as some simple summer snacks that do well with Iberian delights. The wonderful thing is that each carefully cultivated and cured slice of Iberian meat stands strong on its own. You truly can’t go wrong.
Portable Pairings
Mix and match these foods with any of your sliced cured meats.
- Spanish picos
- Breadsticks
- Crackers
- Baguette
- Almonds
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Dried figs
- Dates
- Aged cheeses
- Olives
- Canned tuna
Quick Summer Pairings
Serve these mixtures on toast, over a bed of dressed greens, or all on their own for an impressive and easy summertime snack.
- Jamón + sliced peaches + olive oil
- Jamón + salmorejo + hard-boiled egg
- Jamón + cantaloupe or honeydew
- Jamón + preserved artichokes
- Jamón + preserved white asparagus
- Chorizo + honey
- Chorizo + blue cheese
- Salchichón + sliced tomatoes + olive oil
- Salchichón + apricot jam + pine nuts
No matter your method of travel this summer, or the adventures you embark upon, summer is best accompanied with savory Spanish snacks like cured Iberian meats.
