IBERICO PORK LOIN
This is an exceptional cold meat, almost equivalent to the best cured Iberico ham. Covap offers the best quality.
This exclusive piece is comparable to a top quality Iberico ham. It is elaborated from the loin meat of the shoulder of the Iberian pig. The loin is found between the back and the shoulder. Each Iberian ham produces a small piece of loin meat which weights between 600 and 800 grams; this explains its exclusive nature.
This is a dark red cold meat with fatty infiltrations and a mild garlic and oregano seasoning.
Generally speaking, in Spain, the loin is processed but not this more select portion of the pork loin. It is one of the star-products of Covap, the Cooperativa del Valle de Los Pedroches.
- The Iberico pork loin has to be kept in a cool but not cold area.
- One need not be an expert cutter, as in the case of the Iberico ham, but it has to be cut by hand and in not overly fine slices, measuring about 3 to 4 mm.
- It should be eaten at room temperature and it is not good to leave it in the open air too long, and so it should be cut right before serving.
- It is best to eat it alone. It is also wonderful when served on freshly cut thin slices of bread or lightly toasted bread. The bread should not overwhelm the taste of the pork loin.
- If we do not wish to serve it as an aperitif, it is ideal for serving with fried or scrambled eggs.
Due to its characteristics, it would be best to combine the pork loin with a serene and moderately aged red Crianza wine, which will melt away the fat and accompany the product in its after taste. However, when served as an aperitif, it can go well with a rosé wine, like a cool but not chilled Petjades of Torelló. It also goes well with the Jerez sherries, either the dry Fino or the aromatic Oloroso.
By the Equipo Team, headed by María Isabel Mijares. Secretary of the International Union of Oenologists. Vice President of the Spanish Association of Sommeliers. Founder of the Laboratory of Sensorial Analysis.
The pork loin furnishes high value biological proteins, which are easily assimilated, for it contains essential amino acids in equivalent amounts to a man’s needs. Generally speaking, the proportion of monounsaturated fat, represented by the oleic acid is greater than that of the saturated fat, and it even contains a greater amount of unsaturated fat than veal. Even though the muscle of a live animal contains a small amount of hydrocarbons, basically glycogen, this is destroyed in the post-mortem processes.
Pork has a different content of macronutrients depending upon the age at which the animal was sacrificed, the type of food it was fed and the part of the pig consumed, and so in the case of the Iberian breed of pig, the proportion of monounsaturated fat is greater still, due mainly to the animal’s diet.
In addition, it can be considered as a good source of minerals, like the easily absorbed iron and zinc, as well as the magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and selenium. As regards the vitamins, those of the B group stand out, especially the thiamine.
By Emma Ruiz Moreno, José Manuel Ávila Torres, Teresa Valero Gaspar, Susana del Pozo de la Calle and Gregorio Varela Moreiras. Spanish Nutrition Foundation.
