Japan’s wagyu beef has long held the title for most extravagant farming methods, but a herd of pigs in Spain is coming for the crown. They aren’t newcomers by any stretch, but with strict import laws finally being relaxed after historic outbreaks of swine flu, the world is finally coming to know the Iberian pig and its prized cut, Iberico Secreto.
The Iberian pig is thought to be one of the oldest heritage pig breeds in the world, believed to have been brought to Spain and Portugal from Lebanon by the Phoenicians in 1100 BC. Over time the breed has established itself in the dehesa of Spain, ancient oak forests, to the point at which it now plays an essential role in maintaining the ecosystem – almost unheard of in any modern animal production.
Iberian pigs are good eaters and show a propensity to obesity, including the ability to accumulate high levels of intramuscular fat. The secret to their success is their exclusive diet of foraged acorns, herbs, mushrooms and grasses. The fat in Iberian pig meat is mono-unsaturated – the ‘good fat’ – due to their natural diet. The meat is juicy and rich and is often compared to wagyu. Like its bovine cousin, Iberian pig meat isn’t exactly common – at least one hectare of dehesa is required to raise a single, healthy pig, and exports are limited.
So what exactly is Iberico Secreto, the mythical cut of this famed swine? Interestingly, there seems to be no definitive answer. Some diagrams have three separate cuts labelled as ‘secret,’ by the cheek, shoulder and front loin. Rather than there being one cut labelled ‘secret’, it seems like a range of butchers each had their own secret, distinct from the others, and the name has stuck.
