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I can eat a lot of bacon. I've downed so much Piller's German salami that the nitrites should keep me better preserved than an ancient ice mummy. Auspiciously, I was even born in the Year of the Pig.

My whole life, in other words, seemed like training for a trip to Barcelona.

But Spaniards do lead the world in ham consumption. A cured leg of jamon serrano is commonly kept on their kitchen counters, clamped to a wooden stand called a jamonera. Within hours of my arrival, I could see that even my impressive swine stamina might be tested here.

Still, test it I did. My first stop: the famous Boqueria Market. Entwined with the city's history since 1701, this bazaar off La Rambla caters to locals as well as gawking tourists. The 200 food stands sell fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables, olives, cheese, bread, wine and, of course, charcuterie. The Spanish saying that "no part of the pig is wasted" is evident in row upon row of pig's heads, tongues, hearts, livers, trotters and even udders and teats.

Thankfully, there are also less daunting pork delicacies on display. Every butcher in the market sells dozens of embutidos, or sausages, including everything from chorizo to the eggplant-shaped Sobraseda, which spreads like a pâté.

Above my head an army of hams also dangle enticingly. Among them I can see the black hoof of the pata negra, the black-footed pig that stands for jamon Iberico. Serrano ham is usually made from white pigs, but jamon Iberico is made from rare black Iberian hogs. The name jamon Iberico de bellota, in particular, signifies the cream of the jamon crop: The pigs are fed solely on acorns (bellota) in the last months of their life - which gives the meat a silky quality.

I'm a bit overwhelmed, but I finally use an obscure dialect of high school French mixed with the three words of Catalan I know - "Hola," "Adeu" and "Gracies" - to purchase a thinly shaved cooked ham and two salamis. They are decent, but not spectacular. Not the start I was hoping for.

I regain momentum the next day at lunch. After a visit to the Picasso museum and a tram ride up to Tibidabo, Barcelona's highest point, I'm hungry. So I head to Meson Cinco Jotas (known as 5J) in the Barri Gotic district. It's a small bistro with an open kitchen, and old wine-barrel tables where locals stand eating breakfast. The 5J brand is also one of the most respected producers of jamon Iberico bellota. The legs hang proudly in a glass case by the door, each with a Dixie-size cup clipped to the bottom to capture any dripping fat.

What to order? My eyes eagerly scan the menu until I hone in on the word platter. It comes with six different types of charcuterie all made from 5J Iberian pigs: slices of spicy chorizo, perfectly marbled salami, cured pork tenderloin, dried blood sausage and, my favourite, a sausage that gets its name from the morcon intestine encasing it.

Or at least the morcon is my favourite until I try the sixth item on the platter - thin slices of the famous jamon Iberico bellota. It's a deep, garnet red and is marbled with fat. The taste is rich, sweet and nutty. It truly melts in my mouth.

But a lunch composed of meat doesn't mean I can't make room for a protein-rich afternoon snack. As I wander the winding streets of the Gothic quarter, I stumble on a farmers market in the Placa del Pi. Wooden stalls lined with blue-checkered cloths display local olive oil, cheese and dozens of artisanal honeys.

The market also stocks local fuet. Fuet means "whip" and is a long, dry salami with simple ingredients: salt, lean pork shoulder, bacon, pepper, oregano and smoked red pepper - practically health food in my book, and although my prized purchase is less spicy than any I've tried before, it's suitably smoky.

And I'm not done for the day. My next stop is dinner at a family-style restaurant called Can Ramonet. Located in Barceloneta, a picturesque seaside district, the restaurant touts itself as the "oldest bar in the port" and is known for seafood. Lobster, clams and monkfish are on show by the door in huge crates of ice. Nonetheless, I stubbornly order an appetizer of jamon Iberico recebo.

The name recebo denotes a second-tier Iberian ham. It is delicious, lighter and less intense than what I had at lunch. Still, though I won't admit it, I am thirstily eyeing a limp piece of lettuce like it was an icy bottle of Gatorade. The next morning, I completely fall off the wagon: I gulp a mango-papaya juice for breakfast. And then another.

By lunchtime though, I'm back in good form. I squeeze into the bright, busy dining room at La Catalana - a café in Placa de les Olles filled with locals on lunch breaks, all sharing bottles of midday wine - and order a traditional dish of baby beans with ham and small bits of Catalan sausage, as well as a side of chorizo.

That feast emboldens me to end my day with yet another - this time at El Rovell, a Michelin notable in El Born with an elegant bar and welcoming wood tables. I dig into a wild-bean salad with cubes of Iberico ham drizzled in mint oil and deep-fried jamon croquettes. And at this point I am on what can best be described as a ham high.

But I still have one more place to hit before leaving Barcelona: Cal Pep, a tiny, perpetually packed tapas bar, where seafood caught just hours earlier is prepared in front of your eyes and served alongside pork products. Fresh slices of chorizo, for example, with tender, buttery tilapia. A plate of salty baby clams with bacon.

I now understand why locals stand in line for up to an hour for one of the retro stools by the bar here. And in this simple, land-meets-sea cuisine I feel I've had at least a taste of Catalan life. It may be my digestive system finally shutting down, but I feel euphoric.

Sue Riedl is a food columnist for Globe Life.

Pack your bags

MERCAT DE LA BOQUERIA Placa de la Boqueria; 93 318 25 84; www.boqueria.info. Pick from a huge selection of ham, salami, sausage and cured pork here from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Sunday.

MESON CINCO JOTAS Rambla de Cataluna 91-93; 93 487 89 42; http://www.mesoncincojotas.com. This bistro specializes in Iberico ham - don't miss its high-end "5J Bellotta." Open daily from 1 p.m.

CAN RAMONET Maquinista 17, Barceloneta; 93 319 30 64; http://www.canramonetrestaurant.com. Its known for seafood, but it does have Iberian Grand Reserva ham. Open daily.

LA CATALANA Placa de les Olles 5; 93 319 06 93. Try the chorizo or the excellent version of baby beans with ham and Catalan sausage.

EL ROVELL DEL BORN Argenteria 6, El Born; 93 269 04 58; http://www.elrovelldelborn.com. A must: The wild-bean, jamon and mint oil salad. Open for lunch and dinner.

CAL PEP Placa de les Olles 8; 93 310 79 61; http://www.calpep.com. So many choices: chorizo, sausage, baby clams with lardon. Closed Sundays.

FARMERS MARKET Placa del Pi. This market runs the first and third weekend of the month.