Ron.M -> RE: Serrano ham (Apr. 3 2009 12:17:02)
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Yeah, I sort of remember hearing a radio programme about that. The pigs aren't "factory farmed" as our own "value" Supermarket stuff, but are a sort of wild breed that (while still in captivity) are allowed to roam free in the forest and live mainly on a diet of acorns. Modern farm managers would laugh at the inefficiency of the whole setup, which seems very rurally based and non-technological. I once asked my local butcher why his beef and general stuff was so good (and expensive) compared to the Supermarkets. Was it breed or what? He said that the best steak was Aberdeen Angus Cross, which is the best with regards to meat/fat content and better than pure Aberdeen Angus, but that basically wasn't the problem. He said it was all about the amount of time spent in labour and the "hanging" of the meat. Supermarkets want a quick return so the meat is on sale a couple of days after slaughter, so that the water content is still very high (some even artificially inject more) so the cost per kilo seems good, but you are paying for a lot of water. But the traditional Butcher allows his stock to hang and mature for several weeks, losing much weight in water evaporation, but concentrating flavour. cheers, Ron
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