How we bring you the best quality, tastiest Spanish products from Iberica

The Dehesa...

The Dehesa is a great example of the Mediterranean ecosystem. It’s a land consisting of wooded areas with holm oaks, gall oaks and cork oaks and pasture land including herbaceous species for grazing. It is also used as natural habitat for the Iberian pig and Spanish fighting bull, where they contribute so decisively to the preservation of these natural ecosystems, which are protected by the EU because of their ecological value. They are mainly located in the southern and west areas on the Iberian Peninsula, including the following provinces: Salamanca, Extremadura, Cordoba, Huelva, North of Seville and the Central System in Spain, and in the Alentejo and Algarve areas in Portugal.

The Iberian Pig...

The Iberian pig is a traditional breed native to the Iberian Peninsula, and its origins can be traced back to the Neolithic, when animal domestication started. The Iberian pig can be either red or dark in colour (black ranging from dark to grey), with little or no hair and a lean body, hence, commonly known as pata negra, or "black hoof". This traditional breed exhibits a good appetite and propensity to obesity, including a great capacity to accumulate intramuscular and epidermal fat.

Deeply rooted to the Mediterranean ecosystem, the black Iberian pig is found in herds clustered in the central and southern part of Spain and Portugal. In the natural habitat of the Iberian pig, la Dehesa, pigs roam freely, constantly moving around in search of food, burning more calories than confined pigs. The freedom they enjoy along their unique genetic qualities and a diet based on natural resources, produces a marbled meat, slightly darker and drier, with a more concentrated flavour.

La Montanera, is the Spanish term that refers to the last phase of breeding the Iberian pig. From October to March, the black Iberian pigs consume the fallen acorns and wild grass in harmony with the environment. This process consists of fattening the animal at least 46kg on a natural-based diet only, in just two months. While in Montanera, the pig likes to be calm, roaming around or laying where ever they please, but as we said, always staying calm…

What type of Iberico meat shall I buy?

The best quality of Iberico meat is always the acorn-fed, but other options, like Cebo (cereal fed) are also very good as well, as it comes from the same breed of pig.

Acorn-fed Iberico meat...

The acorn-fed Iberico meat comes from pigs that have been in La Dehesa since they are 3 months old, and usually spend all their life in total freedom, feeding naturally on grass, acorns and roots. They exercise daily, which makes their meat darker and very juicy, with high levels of infiltrated fat. It's flavour is more concentrated than other Iberico meats, as you can taste the flavour of the acorns.

Our products come from Iberico pigs reared in Dehesas located in Salamanca and Extremadura, which are an ecological paradise where the use of the natural resources is always in perfect balance with conservation and sustainability.

If you are looking for the best acorn-fed free range black Iberian cuts, find them here.

Cebo or cereal fed Iberico Meat

Cebo Iberico is a term used to refer black Iberian pigs that are fed on cereals and do not enjoy the freedom of the Dehesa. Their meat is usually a bit more fatty and ‘porky’ than the acorn-fed, but nonetheless, very tasty and full of flavour.

In any case, you could tell that is Ibérico meat the second you put it in your mouth for its infiltrated fat texture, and characteristic flavour.

Check our sliced Ibérico chorizo, Salchichón and Paleta Iberica from our Ibérico Cebo range.

By Iberica Spanish Food