Today, Villanueva de Córdoba becomes a national gastronomic reference with the celebration of XXIVth 100% Iberian Bellota Ham Fair which yesterday was inaugurated today in the middle of the pasture. The organization wanted to vary the framework of the first official act to place it in the landscape from which everything starts, the pasture.
An ecosystem which this year “is in all its splendor thanks to the rains which have fallen and which has been hosted on a farm located in the natural park of Cardeña-Montorothe traditional inauguration ceremony of a Fair which this year expects to exceed 30,000 visits”, declares the organization. The opening ceremony took place yesterday in the presence of the mayor of Villanueva de Córdoba, Isaac Reyes; the president of DOP Los Pedroches, Antonio Torralbo and the President of the Commonwealth, Santiago Cabello.
Councilor Jarote stressed that expectations “are very good” due to the “magnificent” situation that the pasture presents and because “we are facing a weekend with very pleasant temperatures.” This leads it to place forecast visits above 30,000 and thus surpass “last year’s record”. Isaac Reyes invited citizens to taste a delicacy like 100% Iberian acorn-fed ham, but also to enjoy the surroundings of Villanueva de Córdoba and The Pedroches.
Showcase
“We are going to take advantage of the Ham Fair not only to taste our magnificent hams, but to show the environmental showcase that we have and which is currently in such an optimal situation,” he said.
The president of DO, Antonio Torralbo, emphasizing that “this year we started from the beginning, from production, in the heart of the mountain pastures”, something very important because “an appellation without territory does not exist”. The data processed by the OD Los Pedroches inspires optimism as they hope to protect around 20,000 pigs with the desire “that they all pass the final exam”.
Furthermore, Torralbo pointed out that “in other years we needed five hectares to feed a single pig, this year we are going to get this figure below two hectares because the fruits were accompanied by rain and they will give us the characteristics we need. “.
Finally, the president of the Mancomunidad underlined the need to “link this quality production to the territory”, as well as to commit “to the conservation of this magnificent landscape and the work of the breeders and industrialists of the DO”, in emphasizing the they are making efforts to “preserve pastures and develop the Iberian sector as much as possible, which constitutes a major economic engine for our region”.
During yesterday’s session, the approach adopted by around sixty students from Veterinarian And Agronomists carried out the breeding of the Iberian pig and its habitat.
