When our relatives from Barcelona arrived in the Philippines, not only did they bring with them tons of memories from our childhood, they also brought with them a chockfull of Spanish food that we enjoyed as kids!
Among the stash were Jamon Serrano, Chorizo Iberico, and Turron de Jijona! Yummers!
The Jamon Serrano came from their restaurant, which makes it uber special. The Chorizo came from El Corte Ingles - the biggest department store chain in Europe. As kids, we'd always see Tita Evelyn and Tito Agustin lugging around bags from El Corte Ingles whenever they'd visit from Spain. A few years ago, when I went to Barcelona, it was such a thrill to go inside and explore the store. It was as fabulous as I imagined it to be.
Another favorite brand is Antiu Xixona. This brand has been around for ages! I mean, even as an elementary school kid, I'd remember how we'd receive boxes and boxes of Antiu Xixona from Tita Evelyn whenever they'd come to Manila.
Basically, Turron de Jijona is like Marzipan, albeit more oily and more solid. We always described it as "solid peanut butter made of almonds" since that's what it tastes like. It's so rich and so good, it feels like you're gaining weight just by looking at it.
Recently, I brought a box to the office, and some of my colleagues described it as: "Parang sosyal na Choc-nut!" (Welcome to the barrio.)
Seeing my cousins bring us these goodies is like a double-whammy. By spending time with our cousins, we relive our childhood. And by enjoying these goodies that they brought, we also get to taste our childhood.
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