Q&A: Manuela Villegas Restrepo

“JAMÓN IBÉRICO IS THE BEST HAM IN THE WORLD. I’M VERY HAPPY THAT SPANISH PEOPLE INVENTED THIS FOR US!”

Interview: Mark Riddaway / Portraits: Orlando Gili

As a first question posed to a young woman with a Spanish name whose job on a Spanish food stand (Brindisa) involves a definitively Spanish craft – hand-carving jamón Ibérico – it seems reasonable enough: which part of Spain are you from? “I’m not from Spain, I’m from Colombia,” replies Manuela Villegas Restrepo. “From Medellín in Colombia.” At Borough Market, nothing should ever be assumed.

Until she landed in London six years ago in search of new opportunities, Manuela had only visited Europe once before. “My sister-in-law is Spanish, so I’d been in Spain for my brother’s wedding in 2015, but only for a month, just holidays, not to live.” She knew nothing of Spanish ham. She also spoke no English: “I just knew that ‘manzana’ is apple. That’s all!” She is now an impressively fluent speaker and a skilled proponent of the delicate art of carving cured meat, her rapid mastery of which she attributes in part to her background as a musician. “I’ve played the violin since I was seven years old,” she says, with an elegant flourish of her arm. “It’s quite similar in some ways – my knife is like my bow!”

Before you came to Europe, had you ever come across jamón Ibérico?

Literally never. For me, it was really weird to see it, because it’s just a massive leg. For a Colombian it’s quite shocking. It’s like: “What is this?” At first, I thought it was raw! But when I started to learn, I fell in love with it. I fell in love with Spanish gastronomy, how they cook, how simple the food is. I love food and I love the stories behind food. How people cook is what makes a culture. To understand a country, you have to understand its food. We speak Spanish in Latin America but the resources are different and the way we cook is completely different.

So how on earth did you end up learning the traditional Spanish craft of the ‘cortadora de jamón’?

When I met with my brother here in London, he found me a job as a ham carver for a company called Enrique Tomás. He works there as a manager. Enrique Tomás is really famous across the world. It’s this guy, his name is Enrique, and he does everything – he has the pigs and produces the ham. When I started to work there, I didn’t like it. You need to have a high level of skill to carve properly and I found it very hard, especially with my lack of English. But I started to read about it, started to familiarise myself with the process, and slowly I got better. I remember they gave me the cheap ham to train on – the serrano ham. Once I got better, I started to go to the higher categories.

The jamón Ibérico you’re now carving at Brindisa is the very highest category of all. What makes it so special?

Creating it is just a long, beautiful process. The carvers are like the top of the tree, making a beautiful plate, but the roots are so deep. It all starts with the pig. It’s a special and unique pig, an Ibérico pig, which can only be found in Spain and Portugal. They’re free range and they have a special diet of acorns. When you see the pigs, they’re huge. They’re semi-wild animals, very impressive. The pig lives for maybe two and half years, and then the process of curing is another three years minimum, so it takes a lot of time and work before I’m here carving a leg.

How much variation is there in the flavours and textures within a leg of jamón?

There are lots of different muscles in a pig’s leg and every muscle is different, so the same leg has lots of different flavours. Every leg is different as well: the pigs are free range, so some of them walk more, some of them walk less. We have ham from four different regions, and from every region the ham tastes different. It’s the same type of pig and the same curing process, but the environment is different. We have one farm that is really close to the sea, and you can taste the salty wind in the ham.

What does the perfect slice of jamón Ibérico look like?

My Spanish colleague Eva is a beautiful and special ham carver. Because I’m not from Spain, I’ve been learning so much from her. Her parents told her that the perfect slice will be the size of a credit card and really thin. It’s the perfect size to put in your mouth. It melts on your tongue. It’s like an experience – not just to eat, to enjoy. Because we carve by hand, every piece is unique, and it’s artisanal from the very beginning until the very end. It’s the best ham in the world. I’m very happy that Spanish people invented this for us!

In Spain, yours is a highly respected profession, but also a very male one. You won’t often see a woman carving ham, but at Brindisa there are two female carvers in the same shop. Does it feel good, breaking down those barriers?

Yes, I feel fantastic – because I’m as woman and as well because I’m Colombian. Some Spanish people do get a bit offended. They arrive in the shop and ask: “Whereabouts in Spain are you from?” I say I’m from Colombia and some of them are like: “What? Do you have a license to do this?” No, but I do it, and I do it well and really that’s all that matters. I suppose for them it’s very cultural, very important. And a non-Spanish woman carving ham? That’s just weird!

Brindisa is a company founded by a woman. Do you enjoy working for her?

I love it. Monika, the owner, has made it her mission to work closely with small businesses in Spain, and basically just help them grow, and grow together with them. I really like that philosophy. She’s really inspiring and really humble as well. I love the company, not just for the ham but for every product that we have. Every product we sell is truly artisanal.

There’s an element of performance to your work. How do you find it, being on public display?

Every day I feel like I’m famous! Literally every minute, people are taking pictures. Sometimes it’s fun, depending on your mood. But sometimes, if I’m having a really bad day, it’s quite annoying, so I pull my face really crazy! I’m always happy to talk to people, though. They get really interested in what I’m doing and about the ham, asking lots of questions.

Do you enjoy being in the market every day?

Yes, I love working in a market. The aromas and the colours and the noise – it’s really magic. And you make those connections with so many different people. It’s like living in a big house. The only thing is the weather. The weather is awful. As a Colombian, it’s really challenging! In the corner where Brindisa is, we receive currents of wind from every single direction. And the floor as well: the cold comes up through your feet when you’re standing there for eight hours! But then the summer comes and it’s warm, and when you finish work it’s still light. Then it’s really beautiful.

IWD