Germans Gracia

germans gracia

I’d been asked to buy some Jamón for a friend in London, so on my last day, I went to Germans Gracia, a Xarcuteria located near to the friends I’ve been staying with in Barcelona – they buy all their charcuterie here.

window

Germans Gracia is a family run business, established in 1960, which has become so successful that they’ve opened several shops in and around Barcelona.

sausages

As you can see, the shop is full of embutidos (sausages) and cured meats from all over Spain).

cheese

There’s an extensive range of quesos (cheeses), note the tetilla (from Galicia on the Atlantic coast)

jamón pieces

and jamón – legs, shoulders, portions and slices.

interior left

Inside, every inch is crammed full

interior right

of the finest produce Cataluña and Spain have to offer.

jamón

Here’s the jamón I was after. Prices start at about €44 per kilo for jamón serrano, air dried mountain ham, made from white landrace pigs. The price goes up considerably for jamón ibérico, air died ham made from Iberian black pigs. Iberian ham is arguably, the finest in the world – the very best being jamón de bellota, from Iberian pigs which have been allowed to graze freely on a diet of acorns, wild herbs and grasses.

bellota window

Jamón de bellota contains a high concentration of oleic acid (55% plus), a major constituent in olive oil. The very best jamón de bellota can cost in excess of €250 per kilo!

Germans Gracia is at: C/ Torres i Amat 1, 08001 Barcelona.

Further info: I was interested by an article I saw recently, about an American pig farmer who has imported Iberian black pigs to Georgia and is feeding them local peanuts, as there are only a limited quantity of acorns to be had. Having tested the peanuts in Spain they have been found to contain a perfect match of fats and carbohydrates in comparison to the Spanish acorn.