The nutty, sweet flavor of the Pata Negra from Carlos Gonzalez is as unique as his Iberico paradise in Salamanca, Spain.

1 hectare of land per animal. Just imagine that. If you take an average 4-room apartment in Switzerland of around 100 m², each individual Iberico pig of Carlos Gonzalez lives on the equivalent of 100 such apartments! The farm owner and producer of this noble Bellota-quality delicacy has little direct intervention with his animals, which are smaller and darker than our domestic pigs. “The cork oaks clearly create more work,” says Carlos. Caring for the trees is the be-all and end-all for the biodynamic producer, because these are the trees that provide what the intelligent, relaxed Ibéricos feed on: acorns. Gonzalez’s animals appear almost zen-like here, in their free, paradisiacal natural habitat. Deeply relaxed, they wander around, meditatively chewing acorns, flowers, roots, or herbs, and seem content. That is why, Gonzalez reveals to us with a smile, placing his index finger on his lips: “I only whisper to the animals.”

Breed: Pata Negra Bellota
Slaughter Age: 2–2.5 years
Feeding: acorns and herbs
Aging: wet aged, min. 3 weeks