Iberian black pigs (Cerdo Ibérico in Spanish; Porco Preto in Portuguese) are native to the Iberian Peninsula. The best quality black pigs roam free in oak forests and the meat is intensely flavourful, marbled with fat and has a slightly nutty flavour due to a diet of acorns. Of the many small goods and cuts of pork we enjoyed were choriço, morcela, jamon (Spanish leg ham) and presunto (Portuguese leg ham) as well as many pork dishes including roast suckling pig, roast pork knuckle, ‘grandmother’s pork stew’, roasted pork belly, pork cheeks served with a traditional breadcrumb pudding (Migas) and pork with clams (porco Alentejana), a dish of marinated pork shoulder and clams in a white wine and red pepper sauce.
michelle picker cooks 