The habitat of the iberian pig is Dehesa de Extremadura, an agro-ecosystem derived from mediterranean oak woodland where the undergrowth has been cleared to encourage the production of grassland and acorns.

                                                                                                           

As a pig-breeding and production system,  Dehesa is characterized by the use of large expanses of grazing land. As the breeds that graze here have traditionally been bred in this region, they are perfectly adapted to the environment.

 

The harshness of the climate and the poor, low-quality soil have limited other types of farming, which have largely been replaced by stockbreeding.

 

"Dehesa de Extremadura" with its Holm oaks and cork oaks, is te finest example of an agro-stockbreeding system in which human intervention has respected the natural environment. It is also one of the few models of true ecological agriculture where, to a great extent, the iberian pig has been and continues to be responsible for the conservation of the environment.

 

In Extremadura, animal production systems feature characteristics that are unique to the other stockbreeding regions in Spain, and even more to those of other member states of the European Union. These differences are mainly based on the great importance that extensive stockbreeding systems in Extremadura, as they are spread over much of the land area, with the result that animal bredding is successfully combined with the conservation of natural environment.

 

Extremadura unquestionably represents the paradigm of extensive stockbreeding in Spain. 90% of its animal production is obtained through extensive production systems , which in turn represent approximately 40% of Extremadura's total agricultural production.

 

The history and evolution of iberian pig is inextricably linked to the acorns and dehesas (meadows) of southwest Spain. However, the breed has also had to go through some extremely serious crises, which successfully overcame thanks to its great ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

 

In the midt-20th century, the Iberian pig was considered to be no more than a common-meat producing farm animal, and the products derived from it were not deemed to be of any great value. 

 

But then the consumption habits changed, and the  market began to call for meats that were more tender and less fatty, which meant that the Iberian pig lost importance as an animal that could provide fresh meat for public consumption. This change in eating habits gave rise to what was called  the "Iberian pig crisis", as the demand for this particular product fell.

 

Certainly, Iberian pig products had always been held in high esteem (it is mentioned as far back as the 17th century), but the animal was not granted any special official certification, this situation though began to change in the second half of the 1960s. These products were based in three forms: the "jamon" (hind leg), paleta (foreleg), embutidos (different types of cured sausages), and together they brought about a reevaluation of the Iberian pig, just when the "pig crisis" seemed to be as it height. Thus, these products (and specially the "jamon" and the "paleta") rapidly came to constitute a specific sector in the meat product market.

 

Ever since the dawn of civilization , man has been aware of the fact that different foods not only provided the nutrients necessary for survival , they  also  possessed health-giving properties. In the days of Ancient Greece, for example, meat  was the main protein food, and were the hipocratic philosophers considered that the "pig meat gave to the body more energy than other meats".