Torrezno

Torreznos.

Torreznos served in a fountain.

Ducks with turrets.

Torreznos served in a bowl.

A torrezno (from torrar, from the lat. torrēre, to toast, bring something close to the fire until it takes on color) is a strip of bacon, always with its skin on, fried or sautéed in a pan or toasted on a grill. Usually the torreznos are crispy and golden on the skin side. They are usually eaten as a tapa or as a garnish. It is not true, as stated in various publications, that torreznos have the category of gastronomic heritage of humanity by UNESCO. There is not even such a category, but that of Intangible Good. UNESCO does not have this consideration for any specific food, but for entire gastronomic cultural traditions, such as the Mediterranean diet, as can be seen in UNESCO's own list of Intangible Assets of Spain.

Features

The torrezno comes from the ventral part of the pig, specifically, from the marinated bacon. The bacon has bacon and some skin. In the province of Ávila in Castilla y León, Spain, they were eaten for breakfast. They were also fried and placed in a jar with oil and butter to be consumed simply by heating them at any time of the year. The streaky bacon that was put to dry in the kitchens with the smoke from the home was also eaten raw apart from being used to make the torrezno. The strips of bacon (bacon) used to make the torreznos are marinated in some regions with paprika and oregano, which gives them a special flavor. In Extremadura, Spain, streaky, dry and marinated raw bacon is consumed with gazpacho. In Andalusia, Spain torreznos are called pork rinds. In Castilla y León, Spain. The chicharrón is the fried lard from the pig, from which the lard used for cooking was extracted instead of olive oil. The pork rinds were fried in large copper cauldrons that were hung from the llares over the fire. At the time of the slaughter in La Torre (Ávila) Spain, chicharrones buns were also made, that is, a loaf of bread in which the pork rinds were inserted. Torrezno is also used in Salamanca and Ávila to make hornazos together with pork loin, chorizo and boiled egg, which are eaten on Easter Sunday, to break Lent.

Since 2013, Torrezno de Soria has been declared the guarantee brand of Castilla y León, Spain.

Uses

The torrezno is a very common tapa along with a beer or wine, or an accompaniment or garnish in the patatas a lo pobre, the cabbage and potatoes with torrezno, the machaconas potatoes, the Ávila revolconas potatoes. Sometimes it is served as breakfast accompanied by migas, migas con torreznos.

Cultural influence

In the Lazarillo de Tormes there are references to the preparation of torreznos: he bled the greedy bundle, taking out bread not by price, more good pieces, torreznos and sausage . Santiago Valenzuela has called "Captain Torrezno" to the character that gives his adventures his name due to how common this cover is in the bars where his character is habitual.

Dialectal variants

In areas of southern Cantabria, specifically in Valle de Iguña it is called torrendo, as in Arbujuelo, province of Soria, where it is the subject of endearing songs, and it is also called Torrendos in the towns of the province of Guadalajara bordering with the province of Soria, such as Anguita and its districts, Luzón, Maranchón, Sigüenza, etc, also in other bordering towns of the old Duchy of Medinaceli. popular. In countries other than Spain, such as Mexico, Central America, Panama, Cuba, Colombia, or Venezuela, torrezno is actually what is known as chicharrón. And the fat that comes out of bacon when you fry it is known as lard. In Bolivia, the torrezno is actually what is known as the fat of the pig. Two things are obtained from there: butter and the pork rind In the Canary Islands it is also known as chicharrón, but it is usually served sprinkled with gofio.