Iberico pork: The new pig on the block

The sweetest plum: Iberico de Bellota ham
The most coveted cut is the Iberico de Bellota ham: the cured leg of a pig that was born in the spring and spent the last few months of its idyllic life gorging on fallen acorns through the winter. The resulting meat is remarkably hazel-nutty, with an astonishing red hue and a silken texture that simply dissipates on the tongue with barely a chew. These are the gams that have chefs and foodies from Tokyo to Manhattan salivating, and otherwise sensible Canadians willing to shell-out up to $1600. And with the arrival of the first air shipment of Iberico ham and fresh cuts bearing names that take a bit of learning and much rolling of r's: lomo, presa, lagarto, and secreto, expect to see the word Berkshire nudged off menus, and replaced with Iberico at some of Canada's chi-chi-est restos.

Importing Iberico pork to Canada
Mike Tkaczuk, President of Serrano Imports, spent the last five years jumping through governmental hoops and wooing traditional Spanish producers in a quest to oblige chefs and food lovers who hunger for the finest and most cutting-edge ingredients. "We are incredibly excited to be the first importers in Canada to offer this remarkable product," he explains, with a broad smile and sigh of relief, "Canadian consumers will be truly amazed when they taste it. It is rich and smooth, with a robust and slightly sweet nutty taste. You simply cannot compare it to any other cured ham in the world." Working with Fermin's Iberico, of Al Alberca, Salamanca province, who have been raising, slaughtering and processing the Pata Negra since 1959, Tkaczuk expects to fill orders for the finest restaurants and culinary boutiques in Quebec, Ontario, and B.C. by this fall. For most of us, savouring a tissue-thin slice of Iberico ham or thick, juicy chop will be a once-in-a-life time treat, and as luck would have it, we'll be able to, just in time for holiday splurging.

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