Spanish family discovers meteorite used as ham press in Ciudad Real

The Asensio family, long‑time residents of the small Castile‑La Mancha village of Retuerta del Bullaque, found a 100‑kilogram rock while walking in the countryside. Thinking it was an unusual stone, they brought it home and began using it to press ham, dubbing it the “ham‑press meteorite.”

Later, the family contacted experts in Madrid. The Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME) examined the rock and confirmed it is a genuine meteorite. The specimen has now been added to IGME’s Geominero Museum collection in Madrid, where it is displayed among thousands of geological artifacts.

The story attracted public interest because of the meteorite’s unexpected domestic use and the possibility of monetary value, highlighting how rare space rocks can sometimes end up in ordinary homes.