Although a strong Spanish tradition, almost as well known as bullfighting and flamenco dancing, the act of ‘Matanza’ is a tradition that is slowly dying out in Spain, particularly in less rural areas. However, deep in the heart of Andalucía, many families continue to perform the annual humane pig slaughter, quite simply because it remains the most natural and economical way to ensure a plentiful supply of meat throughout the year.

Although it can take place at any time throughout the year, matanza is normally performed in the months of November and December. This is primarily to take advantage of the cold weather, thus ensuring that the meat is as well-preserved as possible.

Matanza is thought of as a fiesta in itself, and as such, can last over a period of up to three days. There is a lot of hard work involved; however the plentiful consumption of wine, along with the cooking of various dishes ensures that it is an extremely convivial time, a time to share with friends and neighbours.

In the past, the actual slaughtering of the pig took place in the home or on a family plot of land; however current legislation states that it must be now be carried out in an abattoir under strictly controlled conditions. In some of the more rural areas, despite the legislation, pigs are still routinely slaughtered by the designated village ‘butcher’, and it is deemed to be perfectly normal practice.

Day one of matanza will start with a meeting of the male participants, normally in a local bar, to collectively go and retrieve the pig from where it has been housed.  

Whilst the slaughter is taking place the female members of the family will be performing the unenviable task of peeling four ‘arrobas’ of onions. One ‘arroba’ equates to approximately 11.5 kilograms, and a good rule of thumb is that four arrobas are needed per pig. The onions are cooked in a large pot, whilst being continuously stirred. Once cooked, they are hung in netting in order to drain the liquid; the following day they will be used to make ‘morcilla’, Spanish blood sausage.

The pig to be slaughtered is heaved onto a metal table and its back legs are tied down. This is no mean feat as a fully grown pig is extremely heavy and requires the strength of at least 4 men to lift it. A metal hook is inserted into the pig’s neck and a small cut is made to the throat allowing the blood to drain into a large bowl known as a ‘lebrillo’.

While the blood is flowing into the lebrillo, somebody is charged with stirring the blood by hand in order to stop it clotting. Although this is both an unpleasant and tedious task, it must be done by someone with experience because if the blood clots, it will be wasted and no morcilla can be made. Eventually, a fine fibre will form between the hands, which is duly discarded. The remaining blood, which will now stay in liquid form, must be kept in a cool place until it is time to make the morcilla.

The next task is the cleaning and subsequent skinning of the animal. This is done using a blowtorch. Whilst somebody runs the flame over the pig’s body, others scrape the singed hair and skin off with large knives. Once completed, the pig is washed and pumice stones are used to remove any remaining skin, dirt and hair.

The animal is then hung from the ceiling in the coldest place, normally in the basement, by the back legs and sliced down the middle. Once cut open, the intestines are removed, cleaned and emptied. The intestinal skin is wiped down with lemon, flour and vinegar and cleaned again. Once completely clean, it is stored with pieces of lemon until it is used to make the morcilla; chorizo, the Spanish spicy sausage; and the non spicy ‘salchicha’ sausage.

From the offal and fat, the traditional dish ‘migas matanceras’ is made. This is very warming, filling and useful for soaking up all the wine consumed on the first morning!

The barbeque is kept busy as pieces of fresh meat are placed on it during the course of the day and friends and neighbours are invited to call in and have a drink and something to eat. The fiesta may well go on until the early hours of the morning regardless of the fact that there is more work to be done on day two.

The first task the following day is to separate the pig into different cuts of meat: the head, ears, shoulders and front legs, hams (hind legs), loin, ribs, spine, and fat. The front and hind legs must contain no blood whatsoever. To remove all the remaining blood, a cloth is placed over the top of the skin and pressed down hard, to squeeze it all out.

Day two is also when the morcilla is made from the onions and blood, along with the charcuterie products like the previously mentioned chorizo and salchichas. Everyone will help with this and by the afternoon, there is a whole range of morcilla, chorizo and salchichas prepared ready for freezing. The ribs and loins, depending on personal preference, are either marinated or also placed directly into the freezer for future use.

Day three generally involves a visit to a registered curing house, where the legs are taken to be hung, normally for a minimum period of six months, allowing them ample time to cure. A trip to the curing house also means that hams stored from previous matanzas can be collected.

For more information on Jamón click here.