JimenaPulse
About Jimena de la Frontera, the province of Cadiz and Spain as a whole, focused on this small village in the mountainsArchive for SERIES
HEALTH CARE IN JIMENA
Yet another fascinating series coming up! This one is about the history of health care in Jimena as remembered by Francisco Jiménez Jiménez, who kindly allowed us to translate it. It is truly a personal story of how things used to be here and how much they’ve changed. Look for it here on Tuesdays beginning on the 9th of October.
(And don’t forget ‘It’s choreetho, not choritso’ on Friday!)
IT’S CHOREETHO, NOT CHORITSO (2)
WARNING: Parts of this series may challenge the sensitivity of some, so if you’re particularly sensitive, stop reading right now.
(CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE IF YOU’RE NOT)
The principal ingredient of a chorizo is pork meat, fat and blood. Some of the best chorizos come from the best pigs on the principle of ‘quality in = quality out’. The best pigs are fed on acorns (See article on jamón on the ‘old’ JimenaPulse) in the wild, though the vast majority of chorizo varieties are made from ‘farmed’ pigs thus making the better varieties considerably more expensive. This part of the series concentrates on ‘home grown’ chorizo and the way it is prepared at village level, as opposed to an ‘industrial’ process.
Step 1, usually in Autumn or early Winter (the traditional date is on St. Martin’s Day, November 11th, hence the refrain A cada cerdo llega su San Martín, ‘Every pig has its St. Martin’ said of someone who’s done something wrong and thinks he/she has got away with it) involves catching and killing the pig, which friends and family are invited to attend. It is considered an honour to be so invited, especially if you are a foreigner (reasonable excuses are accepted gracefully though the chances of being invited again next year are remote).
Once hooked, with considerable difficulty and a great deal of understandable noise from the animal, it is placed on a table, usually one that is specially built and reserved for the purpose. The chief matancero (‘killer’, from matanza or ‘killing’) is someone with great skill with a sharp knife. A single cut to the jugular is usually enough.
The dead animal is weighed by a romanero (from the type of scales used, called romanas, or ‘Roman’, which gives some idea of their history) while the blood is now collected in buckets for further use. The reason for weighing lays in the fact that even this ‘home grown’ system, of great tradition and history, is subject to veterinary supervision, though it might be said that there are exceptions.
Step 2 is removing the pig’s hair, which is done by laying it on a bed of highly combustible dried ferns. The claws are then removed and the skin is scraped clean so it can be used as well. It is hard work, added to the dangers of getting burned. It is also important, at the non-industrial level, to do this properly and with natural products as this will enhance the ‘curing’ process of the chorizo and its derivations.
Step 3 is called despiece (from pieza or ‘piece’). This is butchering the animal into manoeuvrable pieces, preserving, of course, the hams, feet, lomo, etc. for uses other than making chorizos. The carcass is hung for this procedure, after which it is usually time for lunch. Family and friends gather round the table to enjoy each other’s company and catch up on news. A full stomach will give the strength to continue, though the lazier members might take a little siesta…
WATCH OUT FOR THE NEXT PART OF THIS SERIES EVERY FRIDAY
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IT’S CHOREETHO, NOT CHORITSO (1)
The pronunciation of this word is not very important (even Wikipedia admits it is often mispronounced) – unless you want to be understood . What is really important, however, is the taste. Chorizo (say it right, go on) is one of Spain’s staple foods. It comes principally from pigs, which are plentiful all over the peninsula. And it comes in a wide variety of tastes, qualities, sizes, prices and other specialty names. In this new series we will see how they are made and explore the many varieties.
PART 2 COMING TO YOUR SITE ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH!!
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