There are not many supermarkets in the world where one can fill their cart with low-fat yogurt, cream-filled pastries, frozen peas, and a piece of bone-in cured ham the size of a five year old child. What may look to some like a medieval weapon is actually one of the most expensive food products available on the Iberian Peninsula: jamón ibérico.

Produced only in Spain, the quality of this meat is determined by the pig’s diet. Free-range acorn-fed pigs generate the best flavored jamón, while grain-fed pig is less desirable. The fat content of all jamón ibérico is significantly higher than that of the jamón serrano, giving it a richer taste and a higher price tag. Equally well-known in name, jamón serrano derives from a compound-fed white pig and accounts for a greater percentage of Spain’s chorizo production.

Now chorizo is a subject La Loca could muse upon for hours—along with double-chocolate molten-lava cake, there’s nothing that satisfies the stomach like a plate full of sausage. As we’ve said before, it is easier to be a carnivorous traveler in Spain—especially when it comes to tapas. Charcuterie (a diverse selection of these cured meats) is essential house-party fare, and every taperia menu will inevitably include sliced jamón and chorizo (jamón iberico or serrano, flavored with paprika and shaped into sausages) on a bed of bread or plain.

If you wanted to feature charcuterie on your fiesta menu, consider a selection of the following meats, in addition to sliced jamón and chorizo:

Morcillas (blood sausages)
Morcon (chunky sausages)
Salchichones (like milder salami)
Lomo embuchado (cured pork loin)