Pork & Barrels

Following the footsteps of Aracena’s plump black pigs while surrendering to Jerez’s century-old sherry wines and Ronda’s epic beauty and food

Best time to go

October to June
+

Suggested Length

6-8 days

Ideal Traveller

Professional
Explorer


An epicurean journey through the mountainous kingdom of the Iberian pig, visiting historic white towns, where the best charcuterie in the world, Iberian ham, is produced. The architectural and gastronomic wonders of Moorish Seville, the treasures held inside the cathedral-shaped, century-old sherry bodegas of Jerez, and Ronda’s dramatic scenery and fine restaurants.

It’s autumn; the forest explodes with superb wild mushrooms of intoxicating quality and taste. The Iberian pigs roam freely through the mountainous dehesa, searching for the sweetest acorns, the fat slowly infiltrating in their muscles to achieve perfection in texture and taste.

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Down south, Seville is bathed in sun; summer fell in love with this city and, as a jealous lover, does not let any other season come near its beloved. 3000 years of history since Hercules founded this jewel of the ancient and modern world, occupied by Phoenicians, Romans and Moors, their influence strongly felt in today’s cuisine. Sampling the best dishes around the city is like tasting history.

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Jerez is wine, flamenco and horses. There are many bodegas just inside the city, century-old architectural wonders built like cathedrals to ensure low temperatures, or maybe built in adoration of their liquid treasures. Anything you eat in Jerez will be sublime, paired with a glass of fino, amontillado or the jewel in the crown, a palocortado. Wafting in the air, strains of damn good flamenco and the odour of the Atlantic Ocean.

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Ronda will conquer your soul, mind, heart, and palate. The old town with its Moorish palaces and layout is split in two by the spectacular gorge of the Tajo River, with centuries-old houses teetering on the cliff top. Inspirational to artists such as Hemingway, today Ronda still fascinates for its otherworldly beauty and phenomenal food scene.

The Experience

Walk with the Iberian pigs through the dehesa hills while these plump black beauties search for sweet acorns; see how they behave, how they bathe and take a siesta in the oak forest.

Discover the secrets behind the best charcuterie in the world. See how it is produced at the most prestigious local farms and taste the different varieties and qualities.


Wander through the lush forests
and caves of the impressive Sierra de Aracena
and stroll the old Roman paths that
connect the villages.

Immerse yourself in the techniques and explore the ingredients of the local cuisine with experienced chefs at local markets and learn how to cook some of the best dishes in the region.


Be there at the right time to experience, first hand, a matanza, the killing of a pig,
and feast on great quantities of pork-related
products and generous
amounts of wine.

Admire the grandiosity of the centuries-old traditional cathedral-bodegas in Jerez, enjoy sherry wine tastings at private bodegas and learn everything about the most underappreciated, yet perfect wine to pair with food.


Drop your jaw in awe at Ronda’s spectacular scenery and yet again at one of the best and most undervalued restaurants in Andalusia; feel thrilled with its tasting menu and enter the kitchen to try secrets made by the chef especially for you.

Venture into the wilderness of Sierra de Grazalema, a Unesco biosphere karstic reserve region famous for its spectacularly rugged limestone landscape, endemic plant species, magnificently preserved forests and beautiful white villages.


 

A Taste of the Route
Acorns:
a delicacy, used in many traditional dishes
Acorn-fed Iberian pig:
high intramuscular fat, intense flavour
Ibérico acorn-fed ham
Wild mushrooms
Vinos de Jerez:
sherry
Local wines from Cadiz region
Gazpacho:
cold tomato soup
Payoyo:
artisan sheep and goat’s milks cheese
Traditional Sweets
Rabo de toro:
oxtail stew


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