What is Cecina?

Cecina is a type of cured meat popular in countries such as Spain and Mexico. Its appearance resembles noise, even if it is darkly chopped and has more reddish color, probably from the process of smoking or drying. It is also said to have a stronger and salty taste. This cured meat can be served in itself with a bowl of guacamole or sour cream as sauces, or can be cooked as a primary ingredient in many meals such as Enchiladas and Tacos. However, there are some uncertainty where the word "cecina" came from. Some sources quote "siccus" as a origin, a Latin word that means "dry", while others point to the Celtic word "ciercina" translated as "northern wind".

different types of meat can be used to make Cecins, the most common are horse, beef and pork. Bull, goats and rabbit meat can also be used. Cecina can be cured by three possible methods: drying air, sun drying or smoking and not uncommon in combination two or all three of thesemethod. The process is often divided into six steps, the first of which is "Perfilado" or "cut", where the meat is cut into thin sliced. In this first step, it is very important to use a very sharp and thin knife to ensure that the slices of the meat are very thin and have smooth surfaces.

The second step is "Salado" or salting phase, where the meat shakes a huge amount of salt and left for a few days to ensure that the meat absorbs the taste of salt. Salt also helps in "cooking" meat. When the salt is already absorbed, there is a third step, "lavado" or washing to remove excess salt of meat. After washing the salt, the fourth step "Assamento" would be the fourth step, where the meat slices are suspended on the air, probably for several months.

The fifth step is "Ahumado", which includes smoking itself. The hung meat is usually contained in a room with windows that can be maintained or open to maintain the ideal temperature when cucin cure. Fragrant pieces of wood are in the room smoked pof a few weeks. The last step would be "Secado" or the phase of drying and spices, where the meat is left to dry for many months. The whole process takes a long time, usually seven months. After the curing process, Cecina will contain a brown bark that is removed before selling or consuming the meat.