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Anthony Bourdain is my hero. For years I have harbored the secret ambition to travel the world and sample the cuisine in exotic countries. Now I am satisfied to lie back in my chaise lounge and join Bourdain on gastronomic adventures without passport, uncomfortable travel experiences and without a single hit at my budget.

His eating adventures are splendidly recounted on the Travel Channel, and I consider myself his Numero Uno fan. With the handsome, striking Anthony, I have vicariously tasted such treats as the famed blowfish in Japan, the best that France has to offer, curries in India and magnificent paella in Spain.

However, I am now jealously following the machinations of hundreds (perhaps thousands) of fanatical foodies determined to partake of Spain’s famed bellota ham, known in the country as Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. For years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration thwarted efforts to allow bellota to enter the country. But just recently, the delicacy was given the agency’s stamp of approval, although from only one exporter.

Last month, this treasured viand began appearing on menus and dinner tables of the rich and famous. The emphasis is on the rich since a whole ham will set one back about $1,500. For the more frugal, this equates to about $96 a pound, or $6 an ounce.

If you’ve a craving for this delicacy, find a restaurant offering bellato and expect to pay at least $50 for the privilege of indulging in one of the world’s truly rare dishes.

The black-footed porker from whence comes bellato inhabits oak forests in southern Spain. They are not the only porkers in Iberia to contribute to an epicurean’s taste for delicious ham.

On visits to Spain in the past, chefs and food professionals were as proud of their jamon ibérico as they were of El Greco. Nestled in the high peaks of the western end of the Sierra Moreno Mountains is the tiny village of Jabugo. It is here that this exquisite ham is produced. Surrounding the village is a great forest of leafy oak trees laden with tasty acorns, the diet staple of the black Iberian pig, “cero iberico.” This breed of pigs, descendents of the wild boar, are only found in this region and it is from them that the treasured hams are produced.

I am certain that passionate foodies of the Italian stripe would be outraged at anyone suggesting that their Parma hams are inferior to any others. For centuries they have maintained the reputation that their hams reigned superior among gastronomes. Although Parma claims the credit, in truth the hams are produced in the village of Langhirano, south of Parma. Claiming to have the most rarified air on earth, the producers are aged and dried by Mother Nature, who carefully tends each and every ham. The resulting prosciutto is world famous for its savory flavor and an aftertaste that lingers in the taste buds.

And not to forget the French, who will attack anyone merely suggesting that their Bayonne ham does not rank as the best among the lot. The salting, curing and smoking of pork was of French origin. It was the Gauls, great lovers of pork, and most efficient in the raising of pigs, who first created what we now know as ham. They smoked the mighty haunches for two days, using selected woods, rubbed them with oil and vinegar and hung them up, to dry and to preserve them.

The fact that the much lauded bellato will soon be available does not tempt me a single iota. When the figs are is season, I treat myself to the best Parma prosciutto; for sandwiches, I might select Serrano but for unforgettable meals, I’m an all-American ham-lover and I prefer those smoky, rich and flavorful country hams. More about them later.

ASK DORIS:

Q: My husband and I go to San Francisco frequently and our favorite dish is cioppino. He recently retired so our need to go out to the west coast is limited. I would like a simple recipe. I am not a good cook but am willing to try. Do you have such a recipe? Sonia Levy, Estero

A: I not only have a simple recipe for this great seafood dish but this recipe is the classic one used in San Francisco and is called:

GOLDEN GATE CIOPPINO

1/4 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)

3 medium onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced or more if you like garlic

2 tablespoons grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

28 ounces canned stewed tomatoes with juice

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3/4 pound fresh fish fillets (grouper, monkfish, halibut, redfish or snapper)

8 ounces king crab legs in shell, cracked slightly

1-1/2 pounds shellfish such as scallops, uncooked lobster tail cut into large pieces or/and large uncooked shrimp that has been shelled and deveined

12 littleneck clams, scrubbed

Lemon wedges for garnish

In a large kettle heat oil, add onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add lemon peel, thyme, basil, tomatoes, lemon, sugar, pepper and paprika. Cook 20 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Cut fish fillet into 2-inch pieces. Remove bones and add fish, crab, other seafood and clams to cioppino sauce. Simmer gently 10 to 15 minutes until cooked, taking care not to overcook. Serve in bowls with lemon wedges. Serves 6 to 8.

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Doris Reynolds is the author of “When Peacocks Were Roasted and Mullet Was Fried” and “Let’s Talk Food.” They are for sale in the lobby of the Naples Daily News. Also available for sale is the new historical DVD, “A Walk Down Memory Lane with Doris Reynolds.” For comments and information regarding today’s column, contact Doris Reynolds at foodlvr25@aol.com.