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34-593: The Sierra Nevada runs west-to-east for about 80 km. It includes the highest mountain in mainland Spain: the Mulhacén at 3,479 metres (11,414 ft) The term sierra nevada implies the existence of a snow field , an accumulation of permanent snow and ice. However, in the Alpujarras most of the snow melts in the spring and summer, allowing the southern slopes of the Sierra to remain green and fertile throughout

68-488: A few, considered to have genuinely converted to Christianity, were allowed to remain, so as to teach the new inhabitants the silk industry (which they were unable to maintain). Starting in 1571, settlers were brought in from all over Spain; many came from as far away as Galicia. Though they were given various financial incentives, the re-settlement proved difficult. The population of the Alpujarra, estimated at 40,000 before

102-591: A sizable portion of both local market and exports are not actually ibérico . Spain regulation defines trade labeling for all ibérico products. Under the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (EU), certain well-established meat products, including some local jamón and jamón producers, are covered by a protected designation of origin (PDO) or protected geographical indication (PGI): The paleta de cerdo or paletilla

136-518: A smoky-salty flavour. Though widely available in Spain (even if on the expensive side) and accessible in some countries of the European Union , import duties and trade or food safety restrictions applied to foreign meat products in international markets may raise prices substantially while creating scarcity, often making jamón a prohibitively expensive product for other countries to import. There are two main commercial labels for jamón , based on

170-415: A wide range of prices and qualities; as of 2019, typical prices went from €5.00 to €75.00 per kilogram, depending on a number of points, such as length of curing time, breed of pig, or type of animal feeding. Jamón is typically consumed in slices, either manually carved from a pig's hind leg held on a jamonero stand using a sharp thin slicing knife, or cut from the deboned meat with a meat slicer . It

204-573: Is a mountain range in the Andalusian province of Granada in Spain . It contains the highest point of continental Spain: Mulhacén , at 3,479 metres (11,414 ft) above sea level . It is a popular tourist destination, as its high peaks make skiing possible in one of Europe's most southerly ski resorts , in an area along the Mediterranean Sea predominantly known for its high temperatures and abundant sunshine. At its foothills

238-428: Is a ridge running broadly west-south-west - east-north-east. For a substantial distance, the watershed stays consistently above 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). This is sufficient altitude for the peaks to be consistently snow-covered. On the southern side of the range, several long, narrow river valleys lead off towards the south-west, separated by a number of subsidiary ridges. On the steeper and craggier northern side,

272-557: Is a type of dry-cured ham produced in Spain . It is one of the most globally recognized food items of Spanish cuisine . It is also regularly a component of tapas . Jamón is the Spanish word for ' ham '. As such, other ham products produced or consumed in Spanish-speaking countries are also called by this name. In Spain, the term jamón serrano is sometimes used to avoid confusions. Spanish dry-cured ham comes in

306-417: Is also a developing production of wine on the hills between this valley and the sea, and almond trees thrive on its southern slopes. The eastern end of the Alpujarra, towards Ugijar in the province of Almería, is much more arid. The terracing and the irrigation of the hillsides (the "Alpujarra alta") was the work of local Spanish Muslim people of Al-Andalus , who inhabited this area for hundreds of years after

340-421: Is also regularly consumed in any shape in small portions. As a product, jamón is similar to Portuguese presunto and to Italian prosciutto , but the production differs by a longer curing phase (up to 18 months), giving a dryer texture, deeper color and stronger flavour. A whole jamón leg is considerably cheaper by weight than its sliced counterpart because it includes the bone and non-edible fat. Once

374-617: Is found the city of Granada , and a little further south, Almería and Motril . Parts of the range have been included in the Sierra Nevada National Park . The range has also been declared a biosphere reserve . The Sierra Nevada Observatory , the Calar Alto Observatory , and the IRAM 30m telescope are located on the northern slopes at an elevation of 2,800 metres (9,200 ft). The Sierra Nevada

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408-413: Is safe to consume as long as the leg is kept in a dry and cool environment and out of direct sunlight, but it must be kept refrigerated once cut away from the leg. Jamón may also be smoked in some regions, where it is used mostly for personal consumption. This form of ham is common in the southern areas of Castile and León as well as in parts of Extremadura . Such a jamón has a harder texture and

442-496: Is the most commonly produced and consumed range of jamón in Spain. The majority of jamones serranos are produced from a landrace breed of white pigs or from commercial breeds such as Duroc . Jamón serrano, described variously as jamón reserva , jamón curado , and jamón extra or any generic jamón nomenclature, is produced from compound-fed white pigs. Jamón serrano has traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) status in

476-553: The ibérico/a denomination. As such, jamón ibérico is the dry-cured jamón produced from livestock of these breeds. Ibérico encompasses some of the most expensive ham produced in the world, and its fatty marbled texture has made it very popular as a delicacy , with a hard-to-fulfill global demand comparable to that of kobe beef . Since jamón ibérico production and export is limited, buyer should beware and not fall victim of bait-and-switch or quality fraud similar to that of olive oil , since it has been estimated that

510-440: The pig breed and protected designations : The term jamón serrano ( lit.   ' serrano ham ' , meaning ham from the sierra , or mountain range) is regularly applied as an umbrella culinary term for all dry-cured jamón produced in Spain, as opposed to jamón de York , which is cooked whole on the bone. It is most precisely applied, though, to jamón produced from white and/or non- Ibérico breeds of pig. This

544-675: The " Catholic Monarchs ". Their attempts to force Christianity on the Muslim inhabitants led to successive revolts, the Rebellion of the Alpujarras (1499–1501) and the Rebellion of the Alpujarras (1568–1571) . The revolt of 1568 was a civil war, with the Spaniards deploying large forces against this rural population and with much cruelty on both sides. The revolt ended with the death of the last Spanish Muslim leader in March 1571. The revolt marked

578-630: The 1920s in South From Granada (1957). Chris Stewart's best-seller Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucía (1999), later An Optimist in Spain , is set in La Alpujarra. Michael Tracy's Bubión - the story of an Alpujarran village (Hermitage Books, 2013, ISBN   2930590041 ) provides historical background, description of local customs, discussion of current issues, and an extensive bibliography. Follow-up comments of

612-529: The EU and the UK. The TSG certification attests that a particular food product objectively possesses specific characteristics that differentiate it from all others in its category and that its raw materials, composition, or method of production have been consistent for a minimum of 30 years. Fresh hams are trimmed and cleaned, then stacked and covered with salt for about two weeks to draw off excess moisture and preserve

646-522: The European Union. Tourism has developed as the natural environment of this area has become better known. Visitors include day-time or weekend visitors from Granada and longer-term tourists from northern Europe. There are bus connections with Granada and Motril; as the motorway extends along the coast, the airports of Malaga and Almeria are brought closer in time. There are also numerous foreign residents, who have also brought income and employment to

680-526: The altitude. Above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) the climate is Mediterranean -influenced subarctic (Dsc), due to the location's high elevation and low summer precipitation. With June and September being around the threshold of 10 °C (50 °F) in mean temperature to avoid the subarctic classification, the climate at a slightly lower elevation is continental highland climate. At an elevation slightly lower than that classification area; where February means average above −3 °C (27 °F); it falls into

714-594: The area. The villages have good-quality accommodation and shops for tourists. Serrano ham , cured in Trevélez and other high-altitude villages, is a major local product. Mountain biking and walking is provided for, and the GR 7 / E4 European long-distance footpath passes through the region. The Sierra Nevada and most of the Alta Alpujarra is protected under various national and international schemes, ensuring that

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748-702: The author are found at https://web.archive.org/web/20130516195101/http://alpujarrabubion.net/ (retrieved 2014-08-18). Elyse Byskof's On Foot in Andalucía: 40 Hiking Excursions in Southern Spain (Granma with a Vengeance) (Volume 1) (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014, ISBN   1496118189 ) contains much on the Alpujarras. 36°56′N 03°20′W  /  36.933°N 3.333°W  / 36.933; -3.333 Sierra Nevada (Spain) Sierra Nevada ( Spanish: [ˈsjera neˈβaða] ; meaning "snow-covered mountain range")

782-585: The end of Mudéjar style accommodation in Spain between and the Spanish monarchs saw as only way to deal with the Moriscos by complete Christianisation of what they felt to be an utterly alien element within the political body. Thus, the Spanish Monarchs ordered the expulsion of the entire Muslim population from the territory of Granada, who were taken in forced marches to other parts of Spain. Only

816-437: The external fat layers are removed and the meat is exposed, the product must be consumed as soon as possible since a progressive drying and deteriorating process starts. This is not an issue for restaurateurs and retailers , since they go through product much faster than an individual. Home users will typically choose sliced product, be it freshly cut from a deli stand , commercially pre-packaged or vacuum preserved . Jamón

850-431: The final revolt, was only about 7,000 by the end of the century. The isolation of this mountain region caused it to remain poor and backward, until during the 20th century it was gradually opened up by improved roads. The Civil War of 1936–1939 was disastrous, as the opposing Nationalist and Republican forces fought over the area. Some villages changed hands more than once, and each time the victor exacted retribution over

884-475: The initial Moorish conquest of 711 AD. They also created villages on the hillsides in the style to which they were accustomed in the mountains of North Africa: narrow, winding streets and small flat-roofed houses. The Catholic " Reconquista " of Spain progressed to the extent that by 1462 only the Emirate of Granada – including the Alpujarras – was left in Muslim hands; and in 1492 the city of Granada fell to

918-422: The meat from spoiling. The salt is then washed off, and the hams are hung to dry for about six months. Finally, the hams are hung in a cool, dry place for six to 18 months, depending on the climate, as well as the size and type of ham being cured. The drying sheds ( secaderos ) are usually built at higher elevations, which is why the ham is called "mountain ham". Pork products made from Iberian-breed pigs receive

952-457: The normal cool-summer mediterranean classification transitioning with the hot-summer variety in surrounding lowland areas. This renders Sierra Nevada's climate a highland cooled-down variety of a typical mediterranean climate. Summer and winter daytime temperatures are some 12 °C lower than found in Granada , differences that are even greater in spring as Sierra Nevada takes longer to approach

986-597: The rural and the urbanistic features are preserved. The priority now is to promote " sustainable tourism " and as far as possible to extend the tourist period. Pedro Antonio de Alarcón was the first modern writer to describe a visit to the Alpujarras: "La Alpujarra: sesenta leguas a caballo precedidas de seis en diligencia" (1874). In English, 'The Alpujarra: sixty leagues on horseback preceded by six in stagecoach'. Gerald Brenan described his seven-year stay in Yegen in

1020-588: The short summers. In May daytime highs in Sierra Nevada are around 4 °C (39 °F) with Granada having an average of 24 °C (75 °F). The yearly temperature of 3.9 °C (39.0 °F) at the ski station of Pradollano is in stark contrast to Granada 's 15.7 °C (60.3 °F) and coastal Málaga 's 18.5 °C (65.3 °F). [REDACTED] Media related to Sierra Nevada (Spain) at Wikimedia Commons Serrano ham Jamón ( Spanish: [xaˈmon] ; pl. : jamones )

1054-556: The valleys have less regular orientations. This side is dominated by the Rio Genil which starts near Mulhacén and into which many of the other rivers flow. Geologically, the range is composed chiefly of soft micaceous schists , sloping steeply to the north, but more gradually to the south and south-east. According to the Köppen climate classification , Sierra Nevada has a Mediterranean climate , with different variations depending on

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1088-581: The vanquished. Even after the Nationalist victory in April 1939, guerrilla fighters in the mountains continued their struggle against the Guardia Civil and a locally recruited militia ( Somatén ) based in the villages. This conflict did not end until 1942 when the guerrilla leader was captured. The high villages have lost population as younger people seek work in the cities, in Spain and elsewhere in

1122-478: The year, despite the heat of the summer sun. Water emerges from innumerable springs; human intervention has channeled it to terraced plots and to the villages. Olives are grown on the lower slopes, and in the valley below which extends from Órgiva to Cadiar, through which flows the Guadalfeo river. The plentiful water, milder climate, and fertile land favour the cultivation of grapes, citrus, and other fruit. There

1156-783: Was formed during the Alpine Orogeny , a mountain-building event that also formed the European Alps to the east and the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Sierra as observed today formed during the Paleogene and Neogene Periods (66 to 1.8 million years ago) from the collision of the African and Eurasian continental plates . Central to the mountain range

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