We open the Jamón Experience

We're heading to the heart of Barcelona with the ham on our backs to inaugurate Jamón Experience

(Source: ABC.es Catalonia. 4/29/2014.)

The finest ham arrives at Las Ramblas of Barcelona to inaugurate Jamón Experience, the world's first and only educational space dedicated exclusively to Iberian ham, an internationally recognized culinary gem. A magnificent space of 2,200m2, in front of the Mercat de la Boqueria, equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual technology.

If there's a flagship culinary product of Spanish gastronomy, it's undoubtedly Iberian ham. While many claim to have firsthand enjoyed this delicacy, few are familiar with the care and dedication required for its production. With the aim of introducing the entire culture of this Spanish heritage, Jamón Experience was born, the first educational center dedicated to ham and driven by Enrique Tomás.

In the heart of Barcelona's Rambla, you'll find this unique museum. Architect Dani Freixes has transformed these 2,200 square meters spread over three floors to make them accessible to the public. In the basement, there's an interactive tour that offers curious visitors a guided journey through the intricacies of ham. After completing the route, on the ground floor, you'll find the Enrique Tomás shop where the product is sold. In the first floor, there's a spectacular viewpoint overlooking the Rambla, providing a close-up view, along with a space dedicated to ham tastings.

The entire structure of the venue is designed to allow visitors to learn about and savor the pleasures of this Iberian delicacy. For 19 euros, the user can enjoy a complete tour – the Jamón Experience – which concludes with a tasting of four types of ham. It's expected that 100 million ham enthusiasts will visit the Jamón Experience facilities each year. Dani Freixas, architect of Jamón Experience, emphasized that the main challenge of this work has been "explaining what ham is without falling into folkloric stereotypes."

The interactive tour explains the production process of this delicacy. Through 3D projections, a virtual guide takes the viewer to learn more about this typical dish of Spanish cuisine. The journey begins at a restaurant table where the visitor becomes a diner and orders a dish of Iberico as an appetizer. This initial situation serves as a storyline to lead the user through the southwestern peninsular pastures and observe how the Iberian pigs grow. Throughout the experience, the user immerses themselves in the art surrounding the production process of this delicacy.

After the visit - a 25-minute tour designed for 18 people - the user learns to distinguish between the types of ham produced in the country and discovers all the necessary steps to cure the pork pieces. Once the information is processed, the visitor - salivating at the idea of savoring a slice of Iberico - arrives at the tasting room where an expert cutter offers tasting plates for the ham tasting. Thus, the process of this cathedral of emblematic cured meat of the Spain brand is culminated.

The goal of the Jamón Experience is to introduce ham as one of the indispensable intangible values of Spanish culture. "So far, we've explained it very poorly, and now we intend to elevate ham to the top of global gastronomy," said Enrique Tomás, founder of the ham shops chain Enrique Tomás.