HAPPY ANIMALS

The Luck of the Cerdo Ibérico

The life of a Cerdo Ibérico is a fortuitous marriage of ecological and commercial values, for the most important priority of the producer is that his animals are happy and healthy. A contented pig thrives and the resultant hams are mellow.

There are as many ways to raise the pigs as there are producers, but let me tell you of two producers we got to know. In order to foster harmony these producers keep the same pigs living together all of their lives.

A lucky pig is one who is born in late spring through early summer. This means that the animal’s prime will coincide with the prime season of acorn production, their favorite food. The final result is the unparalleled Jamon Iberico de Bellota.

For Bellota hams (not the regular Iberico hams) as the pigs freely wander around the forest meadow called the 'dehesa' in the fall, they make a bee-line for the cork and holm oaks trees that are liberally located around the landscape. The trees are cascading thousands of rich oily acorns onto the forest floor.

The pigs are encouraged to run around the dehesa area for several miles a day. Not only does that keep them strong ans healthy, it builds up a healthy appetite that is never sated. Each robust animal gains more than two pounds a day!

Because of their genetic makeup and the unique diet, much of the fat produced in a 'Bellota' Iberico ham is healthy mono-unsaturated – as healthy as olive oil. Some wag said that Ibérico pigs were four legged amphoras of olive oil!!

All good things must come to an end. When the season is over and it is time for them to be 'sacrificed', the herd is led to an ample pen to settle down for the evening. The next morning they are fed, given warm showers and then while they are blissfully reclining they receive carbon monoxide and drift off to sleep. A humanitarian act yields a commercial bonus: a contented animal produces the best ham.