An urban legend with legs.
“Spain’s love affair with ham dates to the Inquisition, when people ate it to prove they weren’t Jewish or Muslim. Centuries later, ham remains a staple in Spanish cuisine and is an essential part of the tapas experience.”
(June 12, 2009 article: http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/travel/other/stories/DN-madridtapas_0614tra.ART.State.Edition1.197afab.html )
Okay, so pork was NOT a staple before 1478 or so? That’s what I’m supposed to believe? Yeah, sure.
Besides, by long standing tradition, converted Jews were not expected to eat pork if they claimed they could not “physically tolerate it”. So said the law code of Erwig, promulgated in 680. (Norman Roth Jews, Visigoths, and Muslims in medieval Spain: cooperation and conflict, 29).
Even though I’m Catholic, I never liked ham for some reason. I guess I would be considered Muslim.