Relatos de la dehesa

The selected stories bring us closer to the *dehesa*—the traditional wooded pastureland—to farm life, and to homes where the flavor of ham is woven into family memories. There are grandfathers who teach their grandchildren to view the landscape from a new perspective, rascals who use their wits to satisfy their hunger, and children who land an entire village in a bind. Animals also have their say; within these pages, humor mingles with nostalgia and a way of life the characters know intimately. Iberian ham is a pinnacle of Spanish culinary culture, and its journey begins long before it reaches the table. Its quality depends on how the pigs are raised, their diet during the *montanera* (the acorn-feeding season), and a curing process that can span years. Meticulous attention to this process defines the work of Maximiliano Jabugo, a brand deeply rooted in the *dehesa* and a craft where experience and expertise matter just as much as patience.