Pata Negra Quality

Black Iberian Pork

The Black Iberian Pork Pata Negra

The Black Iberian Pork is created mainly in Spain and Portugal, being also designated with the Porco de Pata Negra or Porco de Roca Alentejana.

Particularly well adapted to the conditions of growth in the Alentejo land, the Black Iberian Pork feeds on spontaneous pastures, moving freely in a region still preserved. The result is quality beef produced using rural methods.

To be considered as "Iberian ham", the Black Iberian Pork should contain at least 50% purity of the breed.

The Food With Acorns

The main characteristics of the Black Iberian Pork are its purity and its creation in an extensive regime of freedom.

The feeding of acorns is a food characteristic, where the Black Iberian Pork ingests acorns. This characteristic is denominated like mountainous, and begins in November and ends in March. This food process raises thus, the quality of the race of the Black Iberian Pork that can reach the 180kg at the end of the mountain.

In order for the Black Iberian Pork breed to achieve excellence, it is important to maintain an acorn-based diet. Much of Black Iberian Pork's fat, which follows this diet, is made up of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat with less harmful LDL cholesterol and more of the beneficial HDL cholesterol.