Description
Chosco de Tineo PGI is a smoked, cured meat product made from select cuts of pork loin and tongue, seasoned with salt, paprika and garlic, packed in pig's intestine.
Production Area
The production area of Chosco de Tineo PGI is made up of the Municipalities of Allande, Belmonte de Miranda, Cangas del Narcea, Salas, Somiedo, Tineo, Valdés and Villayón in the west of the Principality of Asturias (Spain), in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, bounded by the Autonomous Communities of Cantabria, Castile- León and Galicia.
Production Method
To prepare Chosco de Tineo PGI the pork is seasoned with salt, paprika and garlic and then packed by hand into pig's intestine. The product is then smoked in braziers or other moveable apparatuses known as cocinas de ahumado, using local aromatic dry wood. During this stage the choscos are left in special smoking rooms ahumaderos for a minimum of eight days, hanging from bars attached to the roof or from frames known as carros. This is followed by drying which takes place on premises allowing good ventilation, also for a minimum of eight days.
Appearance and Flavour
Chosco de Tineo PGI has a round and irregular shape, a reddish colour, a firm consistency and a characteristic appearance when cut, with the different pieces of meat used being clearly visible. The aroma and taste are characteristic of smoked sausage, which may be more or less intense depending on the smoking time.
History
Already in the XVIII century, as recorded in the Catastro de Ensenada (land registry), the production area of Chosco de Tineo PGI had the largest known herd for animal husbandry. Several documents from 1897 refer to pig-breeding as one of the main sources of wealth in the territory and in the second half of the XIX century, in their work Asturias, Bellmunt and Canella refer to sausage manufacturers in the Municipality of Valdés. According to several historical sources, the consumption of choscos in the region of Asturias was traditionally tied to the local festival of San Roque. In 1929, Dionisio Pérez, in his Guía del buen comer español, alludes to chosco as a sausage and indicates it as being a characteristic dish in Tineo on San Roque's Day.
Gastronomy
Chosco de Tineo PGI should be kept in a cool dry place, away from direct heat sources. The product can be eaten sliced or cubed and is ideal served with an aperitif. Chosco de Tineo PGI is best appreciated with fresh or paprika bread.
Marketing
The product is marketed as Chosco de Tineo PGI. It is sold in fresh slices or packaged if cooked.
Distinctive Features
The particular aroma of Chosco de Tineo PGI is due to the fact that scented woods such as oak, birch, beech or chestnut are used during the smoking process.
