It’s an open secret that you can eat very well in Ibiza, and it is not just the locals of the bigger Pityusic island who think so, but also fans of the gourmet delights produced in this haven of Mediterranean cuisine. Although much of the island’s fame is down to famous delicacies such as red prawns, or the rice dishes, “bullit de peix”, “borrida de rajada”, fried squid or “peix en salmorra”, it is impossible to comprehend the gastronomy of Ibiza without mentioning one of its flagship cured products, Ibizan sobrasada.
Whether grilled over coals as evening falls, or on a wooden platter alongside some butifarrón (another typical cured sausage) or with a warm slice of freshly toasted country bread, or added to rice dishes, squid, or other stews and casseroles for extra flavour, it has to be said that this tasty local product has become one of the island’s most appreciated and sought after culinary treasures.
To understand its popularity, you need to look at the laborious and dedicated preparation of this traditional product, which follows a recipe jealously guarded by local families and which, like genuine treasure, has been handed down from generation to generation.
In an island where most of the inhabitants work on the land, sobrasada arose from the need of many families to slaughter a pig every year, a deeply rooted tradition which provided food for the whole year. But this date in the winter calendar was also cause for celebration, with festivals and music, and neighbours and friends would all join in, a tradition that is maintained today in many houses.
These country folks, in the absence of refrigeration, had to find ways of conserving food through the winter months, and they used this technique to preserve the spiced ground meat that they stuffed into pig’s intestine. This preserving method was introduced to Ibiza by the Romans, and was then developed extensively in the Middle Ages, and it continues to the present day.
Throughout this time, the raw material – and the reason why it is so much appreciated – has been the Ibizan pig, which was one of the first domestic animals to be established on the Balearic Islands, and which is reared in an identical manner by local stockbreeders. In fact, there is an official local breed, the “porc negre” (black pig), which over the last ten years has been recovered, having come perilously close to extinction at one point, and this type of pig is greatly appreciated for its meat.
To make an authentic Ibizan sobrasada, only the choicest parts of the animal are used, namely the loin, ham and shoulder. After deboning the meat, it is minced or finely chopped and left to macerate with an equal proportion of fat, some salt from Ses Salines, freshly ground black pepper, paprika and a natural preservative based on rosemary extract. It is then left to cure in the pig intestine.
The curing process can take just a few days which results in a smooth, velvety sobrasada, or it can be matured for several months similar to cured hams. In this case, wider parts of the intestine were used and the resulting sausage was usually eaten in summer, leading to a stronger taste and a harder texture than the lightly cured ones, which are usually spread or grilled over coals. Although both types of sausage are produced, the most typical, and the most appreciated by gourmets of every kind, are the wider sausages with longer curing time. Both can also be made in spicy versions, depending on the taste of the artisans who make them and different palates.
Aficionados of this delicacy, testimony to centuries of love for the land, for tradition and for doing things well, are convinced that if there is one thing that sets the Ibizan sobrasada apart, distinguishing it from other similar products, such as that made in Mallorca, it is the fact that it is much less fatty, because in Ibizan culture, the pig was killed specifically to make sobrasada, whereas in other places it was made with poorer, leftover cuts of meat.
Today, as if the minute you reach the mesmerising clifftops of the island, time stands still, local producers continue in their efforts to create the authentic sobrasada, following the time honoured ancestral recipe, and in doing so they manage to preserve Ibizan customs.
To achieve this, they continue to use only animals that have been reared on local farms and fed with prime raw materials. As a result, the product has been granted the seal of “Sobrassada d’Eivissa” by the Consell d’Eivissa to distinguish this product from other types, in recognition of local initiatives that continue to adhere to traditional methods.
“Bon profit”!