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Morcón
Morcón is a type of chorizo, eaten in much the same way. The difference is the meat with which it is made, which is usually lean without much fat content, and that the meat is stuffed into a section of pork large intestine.
The marinade used to flavor the chorizo is mainly composed of paprika, garlic, and salt. Due to the thickness of the sausage, the maturity period is quite long.
It is typical of some regions in Spain such as Andalucía, Salamanca, and Extremadura.
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Dry Hot Chorizo
In 15th Century Spain livestock was raised outside the cities and the animals killed in abbatoirs, the meat then sold to the butchers. But with the pigs it was different, the pig was still being raised in the villages, it was killed in the streets and the sausage was made by the family. This custom is something that still persists in some towns of Spain, el matadero (the slaughter of the pig).
It is likely that chorizo was the first cured product that due to its age and extension gained the attention of the Spanish Royal Academy of Language whom defined in the Dictionary of Authorities in 1726 as "short piece of tripe, full of meat, regularly of pork, minced and marinated, which is normally cured by smoke ". In such time the paprika was not yet common spice to the Spanish pork-butchery.
The Spanish chorizo is red due to the paprika with the ingredient arriving in Spain in the 16th Century, from the Americas. Before the paprika arrived on the Iberian Peninsula sausages were whitish or black if they were made with blood and sausage recipes can be found in ‘women’s manuals’ dating back to the 16th Century.
The chorizo picante (spicy chorizo) is made with lean and fat pork, smoked and cured, traditionally made in the winter months taking advantage of the cold and frost these conditions giving it the characteristic dark red colour and aroma. There are three types of chorizo sartar, cular and vela.
Tasting themes: sliced thin for sandwiches or tapas, fried with olive oil, cooked in stews with grains (lentils, chickpeas, white beans) plus a host of gastronomic combinations very typical of Castillian lands.
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Lomo (Cured pork loin)
The lomo embuchado (pork loin) has its origin in Aragon (Spain), and is one of the cured meat products that have been protected under the Diputación de Aragón guarantee mark since 1993 in order to protect the quality of the product.
The preparation of the loin has been carried out in Aragon since ancient times. Originally the pork meat was obtained from the la matanza tradicional (traditional killings), now with the protection of the Diputación de Aragón guarantee mark ensures that the finest quality pork lion continues to be used as before.
The lomo embuchado of Aragon uses only the freshest meat free of the outer fat from castrated male pigs or females outside the estrus period, with salt and other natural spices marinated and then put into a sausage net. It is then allowed to mature for a maximum period of 60 days. The loin obtains an intense flavour, fine texture and is soft on the palate and is marketed with the seal of food quality. It comes in a ‘candle’ between 50 to 70 cm in length.
For their preparation, the loins are put to cure in salt and sugar for one or two days, then washed and left to air dry for a further two days until they are well drained. After the loin is marinated with a dressing prepared with paprika, garlic, oregano, and olive oil, they are put into elongated casings and hung for healing in a cool, dry environment for at least two to three months.
Its flavour is intense and natural, usually presented as a ‘candle’ or in thin slices cut vertically and vacuum packed, it then needs to be kept in a cool dry place. Its exterior colour is light and inside it has a dark vivid red colour with marble-like appearance, because of the fat that has infiltrated. The loin is consumed raw as it is a cured meat.
Tasting themes: Sliced thin in a crunchy baguette drizzled with a high-quality Spanish olive oil, in pinchos, on a charcuterie board.
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Chorizo of Pamplona
The chorizo of Pamplona (chorizo pamplonica) is the most popular and widely known of all of the pork sausages. Typically, in Pamplona and in other Navarre Pyrenees villages chorizo is stuffed into natural sausage casing 60-55mm wide and traditionally presented in the form of a horseshoe shape or in enchiladas, 10cm sections tied with natural cotton.
In southern Navarra the chorizo is smaller in diameter similar to the typical sausage, and in the central region and in the north, you will find them candle shaped which is unique to this region and called Cular (the lower part of the intestine considered a delicacy). With the fantastic climatic conditions of the north east of Navarra there are some truly delicious sausages to be had of which jaurrieta is the most prominent.
The most famous of the chorizo without a doubt is chorizo Pamplona with its specific characteristics of finely chopped pork, it is widely appreciated across Spain. The recipe is no secret – finely chop 80% of first quality pork with 20% pork fat, marinate with a dash of salt and smoked paprika add a head of chopped garlic all bought together with a little spring water. The mondongueras is left to macerate overnight and then stuffed into either artificial or natural candle shaped casings 65mm in diameter. Chorizo de Pamplona is the quintessential reflection of the Spanish nature - full bodied, spicy with delicate portions and generous flavours.
The weather of Pamplona is also another essential factor in the drying process as it takes a minimum of three months to become perfectly cured, giving the chorizo one of its most favored flavour characteristics. The chorizo is then wrapped in paper to prevent the sausage from oxidising and changing to yellowish tones, though it does not spoil its quality it will be rejected by the commercial market.
The tradition has origins from a time when people slaughtered their own meat at home and cured the sausage in their cellars. The making of this chorizo begins in winter when families traditionally slaughter the pigs and then communally make the chorizo, curing it in the cellar until the fiesta of San Fermín. Then the festival of Pamplona begins when the Chupinazo is launched (miniature rocket) and the running of the bulls commences.
In Spain this cured sausage is typically served in thin slices and has an important role in the festivals of Pamplona with the most famous “the running of the bulls”.
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Serrano Ham
The majority of Serrano Jamones are made from a landrace breed of white pigs or from commercial breeds such as Duroc or Berkshire are not to be confused with the often more expensive jamón ibérico, made from black Iberian pigs.
These aged hams were known as a delicacy even in the days of the Roman Empire. The protein is of high quality and after curing for 12-14 months the meat becomes a rich intense red colour.
The serrano leg is always bigger than the Ibérico as it always contains less fat due to the different diets of each pig breed. Unlike the Italian prosciutto which is cured cold, the Spanish Jamones (ibérico & serrano) are cured in a specially ventilated room that mimics the conditions of the traditional cellar.
Jamón serrano can be used in a charcuterie board, in a bocadillo (crunchy bread roll), salad, stews, croquettes, pasta, pizza just about wherever your culinary imagination can take you.
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