Something that at first I thought was strange or unusual about my host culture but now makes perfect sense are the ham legs that are hanging in many windows of different tapas bars in Sevilla. Now, I know what you’re thinking... “What in the world is this girl talking about?” But I’m not kidding you! This was a very strange concept for the first couple weeks until we finally understood the reason.
Many years ago, dating back to the 800s, what is now Southern Andalucía was inhabited by many Muslims and the Arabic influence is still present today, especially in the cities of Granada and Malaga. Anyway, when Ferdinand and Isabella united the castles of Aragon and Castille in the late 1400s, they were determined to drive all of the Muslims out of the region and stormed their precious castle (La Alhambra, Spain’s most popular tourist attraction within the whole country) Eventually, the newly reunited crown drove almost the entire population of Muslims out of the Iberian Peninsula... (I promise, I'm getting to the point that supports my original claim with all of this history!) So after, the new rulers of the Spanish Crown forced this Arabic influence out of the country, they wanted to make sure that they would never come back as a threat and that there were no more lingering around in hiding. As a way to test whether or not someone practiced the Muslim religion, they would give them pork to eat. If they were indeed Muslim, they would not be able to eat the ham because it was/is against their religion. As a result, these people would be (killed, exiled, ??? -- I didn't quite hear that part because this was all being explained to me in Spanish) Anyway, hanging the ham legs in the windows of tapas bars is therefore not only a sign of power, but also a long withstanding tradition that the Spanish have upheld for all of these years... For the first few weeks, I just thought the Spaniards really liked ham!! :)
***On a side note, I never really explained the concept of "tapas bars", but a tapa in Spain is basically like a snack in America. It's a smaller sized portion of a meal that many Spaniards will enjoy after work, school, etc., usually complemented by a "cervezita" or little beer at countless restaurants throughout the city.
***On a side note, I never really explained the concept of "tapas bars", but a tapa in Spain is basically like a snack in America. It's a smaller sized portion of a meal that many Spaniards will enjoy after work, school, etc., usually complemented by a "cervezita" or little beer at countless restaurants throughout the city.
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