I noticed how "Latin" countries have some kind of pork-meat connection when it comes to cured meat (jamon serrano, prosciutto crudo, etc.), is this the effect of the Roman heritage? Is it later? Why are they so common between two countries without a shared border (granted, Spain had parts of Italy for centuries)?
Likely this is simply due to the necessity of doing so. Curing meat preserves meat, and in warm weather without refrigeration it provides a way to keep meat edible. Food was scarce until very recently, meat even more so. Similar climates means that similar means of preserving food were used. Likewise in Croatia a similar ham called pršut is produced. Drying food has been around almost as long as agriculture. So the romans, who did fancy dried foods, probably had little to do with it.
But what about France? They're just as latin aren't they?