Europe and China: how olive oil and Jinhua ham embody centuries of food heritage
From Andalusia to eastern China, two ancient food products reveal how tradition, geography and regulation shape global food heritage.
In partnership with CGTN
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/12/22/europe-and-china-how-olive-oil-and-jinhua-ham-embody-centuries-of-food-heritage
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00:00it's been part of the Mediterranean diet for millennia but what does it take to get
00:09the olive oil we love from the tree to the table I'm in the world's biggest producer Spain oh wow
00:18that's tangy in China we go in search of a delicacy with its own distinct heritage I'm
00:25engine for over a thousand years the hand from here has been prized for its flavor and it's
00:30considered to be a national treasure welcome to crossing cultures join us as we celebrate
00:38two unique food traditions shaped by time and passion
00:42olive oil has been produced in southern Spain since Roman times the harvest in Andalusia
00:59typically runs from October to January Benito a cooperative farmer is my guide Benito when do
01:06you know the olives are ready and how many will you harvest today el momento optimo
01:11es cuando la cintura está entre verde y negra a partir de ahí ya se puede recoger lo normal
01:17on dia normal son cinco seis seis mil kilos más o menos and how is this year's harvest looking
01:22compared to previous years once harvested the olives are immediately taken to a nearby mill to produce
01:45the best oil the delay between picking and extraction must be minimized the olives are first cleaned this
01:52involves removing the leaves in the stems they have been thoroughly washed finally the olives are
01:58crushed into a paste and churned ready for extraction
02:02what are the secrets behind a really good extra virgin olive oil para obtener un buen aceite
02:19debemos de coger un buen fruto y después debe de en la almazara se debe de de moler a menos de 27 grados de temperatura sin aplicarle nada simplemente es un zumo es exprimir muchas aceitunas que dan por como resultado este magnífico aceite de oliva virgen extra
02:25benito thank you so much for showing me around
02:43muchas gracias
02:43now let's leave andalicia for a moment and head to zhuzhang province in china
02:50to discover another delicacy that's been treasured for more than a millennium
02:54mention the city of jinhua and most chinese people will think of ham
03:05home to one of the world's best cured meats just like palmer ham in italy or iberian ham in spain
03:12and even the olive oil from antiquara jinhua ham has a protected designation of origin status
03:19it means only producers from a specific region can use the name today jinhua ham is regarded as a culinary treasure in china
03:28盐
03:31放到这个腿上抹出
03:35哇 这个盐好像跟我平时看到的不一样
03:38它的颗粒比较大
03:39对 这个是我们16末到20末之间的一个颗粒的海盐
03:44海盐
03:46对 它呢这个矿物质呢比较少一点
03:49但我们淹腿呢这个颗粒大小也刚好
03:52我们淹这个金黄火腿也是非常有讲究
03:56我发现好像你也分了一些部位是不是
03:59对 对 对
04:00比如说你这个骨头部位要重点用盐
04:03包括这些节地主则比较多的地方它吃盐比较慢
04:06因为这个锅子是要硬的
04:10但是你知不知道在约翰的塑造上的肝
04:13你可以感觉到有很多振动
04:15After just rubbing for like 15 seconds my hands kind of hurt
04:19因为这些确实的塑造是很大
04:24陈训通 is officially recognized as a master curer
04:29He began learning the craft from his father at 17
04:32And has spent 40 years preserving and refining the tradition
04:36您说这个步骤叫什么
04:41这里是在发酵间
04:43发酵这里是都是在十个月之内的
04:47这个火腿经过发酵以后
04:49把这个风味都出来了
04:52这个呢是我们金黄特有的品种亮桃屋
04:56也叫做中华小猫猪
04:59它就是颈部跟屁股部是黑的呢
05:02您看到没
05:03它就是呢
05:04这边有黑毛
05:05对 它一半边是有黑毛的
05:07包括这半边跟这个上面都是白的
05:10因为这个火腿它是经过这么长时间的发酵
05:13它的缘分已经渗透均衡了
05:16对 已经均衡了
05:19所以说它是基本上缘分都是一样的
05:22这就已经成熟了
05:23对
05:23这是我们腿成熟了以后
05:26要给它进行一个分级
05:28这个就稍微清香一点
05:29稍微比辣
05:30没有那么浓郁
05:32And the flavor in the middle part is sweet a little bit more like honey
05:36第三期呢就它就比较淡一点稍微
05:40对
05:40这算是我们最后一个步骤是吧
05:43是的是的
05:44因为我们这个经过检验以后
05:46验收好这个腿好坏了
05:48我们就可以到市场上去了
05:50进行这个闻想以后
05:51如果它不到
05:52你是不是有的时候就会继续让它放
05:56没有 这个就如果不好的话
05:58它也没有补救办法
06:00没有补救办法了
06:01对 只能淘汰
06:02所以说我们前面的那些腌制的步骤
06:05是非常重要的
06:06We find over centuries
06:10金花 ham is more than just food in China
06:12It's a craft shaped by skill, patience and pride
06:17Today olive oil production is highly modernized
06:28A far cry from its ancient origins
06:30I'm meeting Esteban at the De Copp storage and bottling plant
06:34One of the largest in the world
06:37Esteban, tell us a little bit about what takes place at this bottling facility
06:43Nuestros agricultores están recogiendo las aceitunas
06:46Briseln大田在市场上
06:46胡萝卜市场上
06:48在リ Municipal上
06:49在山河,小挝卜市场上
06:50然后我们是来吧
06:52编号上一种
06:53这就是一种的
06:54And how much of your production will be exported?
07:11Why do you think olive oil is becoming increasingly popular around the world?
07:24Well, what a perfect spot to end our journey.
07:47That's it for this episode.
07:49Until the next time, from me and the rest of the Crossing Cultures team,
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