The Spanish Montanera

If you´re into the Iberian World, I´m sure you already have heard about the Montanera.

Completely new here? Don´t worry, we´ll explain all the information you need to know about one of the most important steps in the life of the Iberian Pig.

Montanera gives name to the process from early October to March when the Iberian pig lives and roams freely in the Dehesa, its innate habitat.

It is the last step in the breeding of the Iberian Pig.  Only the best species of the race are carefully chosen to start the Montanera.

In this inherent natural place, the pigs live a pleasant live, grazing and roaming freely while being fed by the fruit of the oak trees: the acorn.

The Dehesa it´s the typical landscape of the Midwest part of Spain. It´s located in the areas of Andalucía, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Madrid and Extremadura. A large number of villages from these regions are devoted to the breeding of the Iberian Pig.

Each Montanera it´s different as every year we have different conditions we cannot control: temperature, humidity, optimal state of the oaks, acorn volume… Each year the landscapes with the best conditions are highly sought.

By law, the number of pigs per hectare it´s regulated and it will depend on the available acorn volume during the Montanera. High quality means less pigs and less acorns per hectare.

The feeding of the Iberian Pig in the Montanera it is also meticulously supervised. An Iberian Pig should enter to the Dehesa with no more than 110 Kg and must gain a minimum of 46 kg of weight by eating only grass and acorns during at least 2 months

The life in the Dehesa it´s what assure the quality in the Iberian Pig Meat.