Specialty Food Magazine

olives include Manzanilla de Sevilla, a fleshy olive with a fine texture and spherical shape, and Gordal olives, which are large and have a low oil content. Others include Hojiblanca, Manzanilla Cacereña (which is used to make seasoned black olives), and Empeltre. • Sweets: Spanish food tradition includes an abundance of sweet products, including jams and jellies, chocolate, traditional patisserie, and honey. Among the variety of Spanish honeys are Miel de Granada, which can be made with chestnut, rosemary, thyme, avocado, and orange blossoms; Miel de La Alcarria, a rosemary and lavender honey that has been famous since the 17th century, and Miel de Tenerife from the Canary Islands, all of which have PDO designations. In Northern Spain, Miel de Galicia is made from eucalyptus, chestnut, blackberry, or heather. Other Spanish honeys include orange- blossom honeys from the east coast, the rosemary honey from Alicante, and others from Madrid, Asturias, Castile-La Mancha, Basque Country, and Extremadura. • Vinegar and spices: Vinegar is widely popular in Spanish cuisine and widely produced in Spain. In fact, the country produces three of the five types of vinegar in Europe with PDO classification: Vinagre de Jerez, Vinagre de Condado de Huelva, and Vinagre de Montilla- Moriles. Spices from Spain include saffron, and in fact Spain is the largest producer of top-class saffron. Spanish saffron from PDO Azafrán de La Mancha is considered the best in the world due to its bright red color and toasty aromas. Another key spice from Spain is pimentón, or Spanish paprika, a fine, bright red powder obtained from drying and crushing certain varieties of red pepper. It is often used in charcuterie. Attendees at the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show are invited to explore the abundance of specialty food products from Spain at the Foods from Spain Pavilion (#2001 to 2333). In addition, the Foods from Spain gastronomic space (#2218) will offer attendees the opportunity to engage with a variety of foods, watch demonstrations, and taste classic, local Spanish foods prepared by expert chefs. According to the USDA, the value of imported hams from Spain has nearly tripled since 2013, reaching $37 million in 2023. Sausages and other charcuterie are another popular meat category from Spain, including Spanish chorizo, which is different from the Mexican chorizo that many U.S. consumers may be familiar with. Spanish chorizo is a cured product not fresh, so it does not require cooking. It is made with pork, pimentón (paprika), and other seasonings, then cured and dried, ready to eat as tapas with cheese and bread, or in a variety of other dishes. Mexican chorizo is a fresh product with a different flavor profile, and by contrast is usually made with ground pork, or occasionally beef, and chilis, often mixed with additional pork fat, and must be cooked before eating. Other popular Spanish sausages include lomo, salchichón, sobrasada, and fuet. The value of imports to the U.S. of sausages from Spain have also tripled in the last 10 years, reaching $9 million in 2023. Olives, Wine, Sweets and More from Spain Wines, specialty beverages, confectionary products, honey, spices (such as pimentón and saffron), jams, jellies, and prepared fruits and vegetables such as olives and artichoke hearts are also among the top imported products from Spain, according to USDA data. New York-based importer, wholesaler, and retailer Despana, for example, not only brings in a range of high-quality meats and seafoods, including seafood conservas, from Spain, but also a variety of cheeses, vegetable conservas, specialty beverages, authentic spices, confections, and other products. Similarly, importer Regalis Foods offers a range of specialty products from Spain, including gourmet olive oils, a variety of cured meats, an assortment of preserved fish, and diver-harvested, gastronomic seaweeds, among other unique items. Other key specialty food categories from Spain include: • Table olives: Spanish table olives can be found in several presentations, including stoned, stuffed, halved or quartered, and seasoned, among others. Olives are often brined with other ingredients, such as peppers, capers, gherkins, pickled onions, herbs and spices. Popular varieties of table PHOTOS: ICEX SPAIN TRADE AND INVESTMENT SUMMER 2024 53 Mark Hamstra is a regular contributor to Specialty Food and SFA News Daily.

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