Ham, Wine, and Cheese: Spain’s Holy Trinity
Friday, March 14th, 2008
A Table, Perfectly Set: Jamón Ibérico, Queso Manchego, and Vinos de Rioja, Finca Valpiedra, Cenicero, Spain, May 2006. Photo: José Guerra.
Apart from being the essential guide to anyone interested understanding the science of food, Harold McGee’s On Food and Coooking (Scribner, 2004) is filled with aphorisms of great resonance and economy. My favorite among them, which I first encountered as a quote in Peter Kaminsky’s terrific book on pork love, Pig Perfect (Hyperion, 2005), has become something of a mantra for me:
“Rotten grapes (wine), moldy milk (cheese), and ripened meat (ham) make our lives more interesting.”
