25-11-2014
Crossing Extremadura also means crossing the Dehesa, which in this Spanish region spreads over more than one million hectares. The "fincas" inside these fields are the farms where the Iberian pigs are taken during the "montanera" season, from November to January, so they can be fed with grass and acorns
Extremadura is not just the largest autonomous community in Spain. It is also the region in this country that dedicates the largest space to the essential element for the production of Jamón Ibérico, namely the Dehesa. This term is almost impossible to translate, yet it is crucial to understand the main secret of the most delicious ham in the world, that is to say the diet of Iberian pigs before they are slaughtered. In Extremadura over one million hectares of land are dedicated to the Dehesa, which we can say is the result of human selection applied to the nature of these lands (someone in Spain defines it as "el bosque humanizado"). Originally, these were woodlands, which for various reasons were not very suitable for cultivation and agriculture, but could well be used as pastures. Also thanks to the presence of trees from the Quercus species, which produce a fruit rich in sugars, full of taste and nutrients: acorn ("bellota" in Spanish).
Bellota: for three months, it is the essential food for the cerdo ibérico that can then be used for a ham certified as puro de bellota
1. To be continued
Reviews, recommendations and trends from the four corners of the planet, signed by all the authors of Identità Golose
by
Journalist, based in Milan. At 8 years old, he received a Springsteen record as a gift, and nothing was the same since. Music and food are his passions. Author and broadcaster at Radio Popolare since 1997, since 2014 he became part of the staff of Identità Golose Instagram: @NiccoloVecchia