What Do Iberian Pigs Eat?

At Enrique Tomás, we know that the star product of our gastronomy is unique in the world. As well as offering you top-quality jamón, as passionate lovers of this product, we are passionate about sharing our knowledge and helping you discover the culture of jamón. That is why we are going to explain what Iberian pigs eat, so you can see how well they are cared for and looked after from the moment they are born. After all, for their meat to be good, they need to be happy. A good pig farmer is one who is able to ensure the best possible quality of life for their pigs!

Feeding Iberian Pigs

The first thing to bear in mind is that absolutely all Iberian pigs are fed with feed until they reach 100 kilograms. This feed is enriched with vitamins and minerals that help strengthen the animal's bone structure because, as the pig is going to gain a lot of weight, it needs a strong skeleton, especially in its legs, which will have to support a considerable amount of weight.

What Acorns Do Iberian Pigs Eat?

But what do Iberian pigs eat once they exceed 100 kilograms? Jamones can be cebo or bellota, depending on how the animal they come from has been fed. In other words, whether the pig has been fattened on feed or on acorns and natural products.

Before beginning to raise pigs, farmers have to decide how many jamones and paletas they want to produce as cebo and how many as bellota, also known as pata negra. Depending on this decision, some pigs will take part in the montanera while others will not. The pigs that take part in the montanera will be used to produce jamón ibérico de bellota, while those that do not will be destined to produce jamón ibérico de cebo.

The montanera is the period between October and February, during the winter, when the pigs roam freely through the dehesa as they please. The aim of allowing them this freedom is to let the pigs feed at their own will. They will eat everything they find, from acorns from holm oaks to wild grasses and, of course, acorns.

It is common for the acorns to be in one place and the wild grasses in another, so the pigs will move from one place to another, which helps to develop their muscles. In addition, as it is cold, they need to keep warm and will therefore move around from one place to another. However, letting the pigs roam freely does not mean that they are left completely unsupervised. Farmers keep a very close eye on them to make sure they are all eating properly because, just as with us, some are more alert than others, and it is important to ensure that every pig is getting the food it needs. Otherwise, the weaker ones will not reach the required weight and will have to return to a cebo diet.

The montanera is very beneficial for Iberian pigs for a very simple reason: they are particularly good at infiltrating fat into their muscles. Thanks to the acorns and the exercise they get during this winter period, the fat is better distributed throughout the meat, making the jamón and paletas more flavoursome. But can white pigs take part in the montanera? Does it make sense? It does not make sense from a quality perspective, but they can do it. Let’s see why.

Feeding White Pigs

As we have already explained, Iberian pigs naturally infiltrate fat into their muscles in an optimal way, both because of their genetics and because of the conditions in which they are raised. However, Duroc pigs or pigs of any other breed apart from Iberian do not have this genetic characteristic. Therefore, no matter how much exercise they get or how many acorns they eat, their meat will not be better.

Does this mean they should not take part in the montanera?

No, this decision depends on the farmer. There is nothing wrong with allowing pigs to graze freely in the countryside, but this increases production costs, as they need to be supervised and farmers have to make sure that they are all eating properly. Costs increase, but the quality of the product does not change, because the meat of the jamón will be exactly the same regardless of whether the white pigs have taken part in the montanera or not. The only thing achieved through this method is that the pigs are cared for in a more natural way and, instead of eating cereal-based feed on farms, they eat acorns and grass in the countryside. Their meat is not better; their lifestyle is simply improved.

Now that you know what Iberian pigs eat and have seen how carefully they are looked after and supervised, all that remains is for you to enjoy their famous jamón ibérico de bellota or cebo!