If you are not totally familiar with the varieties of Spanish charcuterie, its quality grading and other terms, below is a glossary of terms to help you. Typically a piece of charcuterie will be made up of a few simple terms. So for example a piece of "Jamón" with the terms "Ibérico" and "Bellota" included simply means that it's ham (Jamón), made from the Ibérico big (Ibérico), which has been fed on acorns (Bellota). You can apply the same method of description to chorizo, salchichón and other Spanish charcuterie.
Bellota: Literally translates to "Acorns". In Spanish charcuterie it means Ibérico pigs that are fed on these acorns. This gives the charcuterie, be it Jamón, Chorizo, Lomo, Salchichón or whatever, a very special and deep taste. In fact it's the best of Spanish charcuterie! The curing time for Jamón Ibérico Bellota is typically the longest at 36 months or more.
Cebo: Where the pig is fed on a diet of cereal feed. Compared to being fed on "bellota" (or acorns) the flavour is not quite so rich, but because it does not cost as much to raise the pig on cereal feed as it does on acorns in pastures, the charcuterie is lower priced. But still of excellent quality.
Chorizo: Chorizo is that beautiful bright red sausage, packed full of flavour and possibly the pride of Spanish charcuterie! It's cured pork sausage seasoned with pimentón which in itself is smoked paprika, made from dried and ground red peppers. Chorizo can be either sweet or hot (picanté), depending on the hotness of the paprika.
There is also Cooking Chorizo, which is softer in texture and needs cooking before eating. Once cooked it releases a delicious spicy red oil which transforms recipes into lovely, spicy dishes.
Compango: Compango is a collective term for the cured meats that go into the ever-popular white bean stew from the province of Asturias called Fabada Asturiana (the beans are called fabes). Compango consists of cooking chorizo, morcilla (black pudding) and panceta (cured belly). It also sometimes includes lacón which is cured shoulder.
Dehesa: The dehesa is a Mediterranean ecosystem consisting of Quercus tree species including holm oaks and cork oaks together with layers of grasses and scrubland. It is on this land where the renowned Ibérico Bellota pigs roam.
Fuet: Fuet is a tender, long and slim cured sausage made from white pork meat and flavoured with black pepper and garlic to give it a mild taste, similar to salchichón. Originally it was from Catalonia in the East of Spain, but is now made in other regions.
Lomo: Lomo is the tenderloin cut of pork. It is the highest quality cut and is the most treasured cured meat on the Spanish market with fine intramuscular fat and a unique tenderness Lomo Ibérico Bellota is quite amazing!
Morcilla: Similar to black pudding, morcilla is popular as both a tapas and as an ingredient in stews. Generally speaking morcilla is thicker than black pudding and its principle ingredients include pig’s blood, rice, onions and spices. As with many foods from Spain the exact ingredients will vary by region.
Paleta: Paleta is the shoulder cut of pork. The shoulder is on the fore leg and is both smaller in weight and has less fat content than jamón which is on the hind leg. This makes paleta less expensive than jamón from the hind leg but don't dismiss it - it can be of very high quality depending on the pig and curing time and offers very good value for money.
Panceta: Panceta is cured belly of pork and is a very popular Spanish cooking ingredient, especially in stews like Fabada Asturiana. Cured panceta has a gentle, sweet flavour which comes from the fat.
Recebo: A grade of Jamón Ibérico where the animal has been fed on a mix of acorns during the pastureland phase and then supplemented with grass and cereal. Put simply a Jamón Ibérico Recebo is mid-range between Ibérico bellota and Ibérico Cebo, both in terms of flavour and price.
Salchichón: Made through a combination of smoking, drying and cooking, similar to the production of chorizo, however without paprika. This cured meat is made with salt, pepper, nutmeg, oregano and garlic and then cured for a minimum of 3 months. It is sometimes described as a summer meat as it is lighter than chorizo, however it is eaten all year round.
Serrano: The word "Serrano" refers to the mountains and jamón serrano is made from most varieties of pig, mainly the landrace breed of white pigs, but importantly does not include jamón made from the more expensive black Iberian pig (jamón Ibérico). While a good Serrano ham is very nice indeed, cheap Serrano ham can be very disappointing, due to the method of curing, the short curing period and poor grade quality of pork.
There are 3 main types of serrano depending on the length of the curing process. These are Bodega (meaning "cellar") cured for anywhere between 10 to 12 months, Reserva, cured for anywhere between 12 to 15 months and Grand Reserva, cured for over 15 months.
Bellota: Literally translates to "Acorns". In Spanish charcuterie it means Ibérico pigs that are fed on these acorns. This gives the charcuterie, be it Jamón, Chorizo, Lomo, Salchichón or whatever, a very special and deep taste. In fact it's the best of Spanish charcuterie! The curing time for Jamón Ibérico Bellota is typically the longest at 36 months or more.
Cebo: Where the pig is fed on a diet of cereal feed. Compared to being fed on "bellota" (or acorns) the flavour is not quite so rich, but because it does not cost as much to raise the pig on cereal feed as it does on acorns in pastures, the charcuterie is lower priced. But still of excellent quality.
Chorizo: Chorizo is that beautiful bright red sausage, packed full of flavour and possibly the pride of Spanish charcuterie! It's cured pork sausage seasoned with pimentón which in itself is smoked paprika, made from dried and ground red peppers. Chorizo can be either sweet or hot (picanté), depending on the hotness of the paprika.
There is also Cooking Chorizo, which is softer in texture and needs cooking before eating. Once cooked it releases a delicious spicy red oil which transforms recipes into lovely, spicy dishes.
Compango: Compango is a collective term for the cured meats that go into the ever-popular white bean stew from the province of Asturias called Fabada Asturiana (the beans are called fabes). Compango consists of cooking chorizo, morcilla (black pudding) and panceta (cured belly). It also sometimes includes lacón which is cured shoulder.
Dehesa: The dehesa is a Mediterranean ecosystem consisting of Quercus tree species including holm oaks and cork oaks together with layers of grasses and scrubland. It is on this land where the renowned Ibérico Bellota pigs roam.
Fuet: Fuet is a tender, long and slim cured sausage made from white pork meat and flavoured with black pepper and garlic to give it a mild taste, similar to salchichón. Originally it was from Catalonia in the East of Spain, but is now made in other regions.
Lomo: Lomo is the tenderloin cut of pork. It is the highest quality cut and is the most treasured cured meat on the Spanish market with fine intramuscular fat and a unique tenderness Lomo Ibérico Bellota is quite amazing!
Morcilla: Similar to black pudding, morcilla is popular as both a tapas and as an ingredient in stews. Generally speaking morcilla is thicker than black pudding and its principle ingredients include pig’s blood, rice, onions and spices. As with many foods from Spain the exact ingredients will vary by region.
Paleta: Paleta is the shoulder cut of pork. The shoulder is on the fore leg and is both smaller in weight and has less fat content than jamón which is on the hind leg. This makes paleta less expensive than jamón from the hind leg but don't dismiss it - it can be of very high quality depending on the pig and curing time and offers very good value for money.
Panceta: Panceta is cured belly of pork and is a very popular Spanish cooking ingredient, especially in stews like Fabada Asturiana. Cured panceta has a gentle, sweet flavour which comes from the fat.
Recebo: A grade of Jamón Ibérico where the animal has been fed on a mix of acorns during the pastureland phase and then supplemented with grass and cereal. Put simply a Jamón Ibérico Recebo is mid-range between Ibérico bellota and Ibérico Cebo, both in terms of flavour and price.
Salchichón: Made through a combination of smoking, drying and cooking, similar to the production of chorizo, however without paprika. This cured meat is made with salt, pepper, nutmeg, oregano and garlic and then cured for a minimum of 3 months. It is sometimes described as a summer meat as it is lighter than chorizo, however it is eaten all year round.
Serrano: The word "Serrano" refers to the mountains and jamón serrano is made from most varieties of pig, mainly the landrace breed of white pigs, but importantly does not include jamón made from the more expensive black Iberian pig (jamón Ibérico). While a good Serrano ham is very nice indeed, cheap Serrano ham can be very disappointing, due to the method of curing, the short curing period and poor grade quality of pork.
There are 3 main types of serrano depending on the length of the curing process. These are Bodega (meaning "cellar") cured for anywhere between 10 to 12 months, Reserva, cured for anywhere between 12 to 15 months and Grand Reserva, cured for over 15 months.
ABOUT CURING
Curing is the addition of a combination of salt, nitrite and sugar, which preserves the meat, flavours it and adds colour.
Over time the flavour develops as the salt drives out the moisture from the meat, giving it that intense, mouth-watering flavour.
The quality of a cured jamón, chorizo of salchichón depends on the quality of meat being cured, the climate the meat is cured in and the length of time it is cured. Typically jamón is cured from between a minimum of 12 months through to 36 months or more (as is typical for high quality jamón Ibérico Bellota). The curing period for Chorizo and Salchichón is much shorter and typically is around 3 months.
CUTS OF MEAT
You can purchase our fine charcuterie in a number of ways depending on how you wish to re-sell or use:
Jamón on the bone: Your Jamón will be as a full leg and be on the bone for hand carving (knife cut).
Jamón off the bone: Your Jamón will have had the bone removed and is ideal for machine slicing. Off the bone can be of different sizes, either a half or quarter leg.
Cular: Both Chorizo Cular and Salchichón Cular are made exclusively with Iberian pork and are presented in a diameter of 40-60 mm thick gut (cular) and 50-60 cm in length. This presentation is ideal for machine slicing.
Horseshoe: Chorizo which is horseshoe shaped and can easily be cut by hand.
All our sliced meats are vacuum packaged to preserve the full flavour of the charcuterie. Do ensure that any charcuterie which is vacuum packed is opened at least 30 minutes before eating and to serve at room temperature.
Jamón on the bone: Your Jamón will be as a full leg and be on the bone for hand carving (knife cut).
Jamón off the bone: Your Jamón will have had the bone removed and is ideal for machine slicing. Off the bone can be of different sizes, either a half or quarter leg.
Cular: Both Chorizo Cular and Salchichón Cular are made exclusively with Iberian pork and are presented in a diameter of 40-60 mm thick gut (cular) and 50-60 cm in length. This presentation is ideal for machine slicing.
Horseshoe: Chorizo which is horseshoe shaped and can easily be cut by hand.
All our sliced meats are vacuum packaged to preserve the full flavour of the charcuterie. Do ensure that any charcuterie which is vacuum packed is opened at least 30 minutes before eating and to serve at room temperature.
Love Spanish FoodUnit 22
Elva Way Bexhill-on-Sea TN39 5BF |
Company |
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Love Spanish Food Limited. Registered Address; Unit 22, Elva Way, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex. TN39 5BF. Company Number 7360899. VAT Number 101432969.