Spanish legend – Iberico black pig:
Descending from the Mediterranean, the Iberico pig spread throughout the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, where it lived in the Spanish “dehesas”, a land which was full of cork and holm oaks, thus full of acorns.
The Iberian pig is a very old animal that pre-existed animal domestication. Their origin can be traced back to the Neolithic Period around 12,000 years ago. You will find Iberian pigs living in the mountains, usually in a wild environment, or in the forest close to its favorite diet of acorns, oak, and nuts. Iberian pigs have a red to grey skin color and have very little or no hair.
Why Ibérico is so special?
The high quality of Ibérico meat lies in being well-matured because of the fact that the pigs have lived no less than 10 months from birth. When raw, Ibérico meat almost looks like beef. The cooked meat is red to bright red compared to regular pig meat which is white. The game-changer for the Ibérico pork meat is the fat. Because of its mostly acorns diet and its genetics, Iberian pigs are able to infiltrate a lot of fat into their muscles, resulting in more flavorful pork. On top of being high in fat, a large amount of it is unsaturated oleic fat, the same fat found in olive oil, which is said to reduce cholesterol and is an important part of the Mediterranean diet. When you eat Ibérico pork, the marbling of fat in it makes it super tasty and delicious. The meat is more flavorful, juicier, and very distinctive.
Ibérico genetics
A genetic characteristic allows these Ibérico pigs to store up large deposits of lipids, which seep into the muscular mass and provide the marbling effect which makes this pork so juicy. Although this marbling is invisible to the eye in some pieces, texture, juiciness and high quality are always guaranteed.
Furthermore, the predominantly acorn diet of the pigs give a very particular flavor to the pork You can taste a unique nutty flavor in Ibérico pork which makes the meat very special. Ibérico pork meat is the richest pork you can find. You won’t be able to find its flavor and succulence anywhere else.
Breeding process of Ibérico pigs
To make the pork taste so special, the Ibérico pigs need a different approach on the breeding process. First of all, the pigs need to live in open areas in a very natural environment and be free to run over hills and through woods, always close to the dehesas. By doing this, their muscles will develop and grow, and be able to infiltrate the fat from the acorns.
During the spring and summer months, the pigs will eat grass, mushrooms, bugs, and herbs. Then, from October to March, during the acorn season, they will munch on acorns falling from the dehesas.