Acorn-fed ham in Spain

When invited to a Spanish meal, we know what one of the aperitifs will be. Food traditionalism is a common feature of every country in the world, although in some it is more pronounced than in others.

On the Spanish weekday equivalent of BBC ... radio's Today magazine programme, hardly a broadcast goes by without there being a lengthy discussion based on some gastronomic topic or other – something unimaginable on the BBC. The national pillars of Spain's gastronomic universe, excluding fish in general, are rice, cheese, and ham. There is insufficient space available here to expand on all three items, but the news this week that Italy's Parma ham industry is under threat casts a shadow over Spain's billion-euro commercial activity in this field. In Parma the spread of viruses affecting the pigs is causing big problems with the result that it is increasingly hard to buy, so we pray the virus can be isolated.