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La Matanza (the pig slaughter) Submitted by: uniquecorners
Esporles village (Balearic Islands in Spain)

The “Matanza” day at my village is a feast day and everybody is invited to participate to it. This is one of the most important rural traditions of the culture of Mallorca in Spain. This day tradition and modernity get mixed together in a renewed interpretation of the feast and the sense of eating. In the past, each family had its “Matanza” day where they collaborated to slaughter and prepare hams and meat for all the year. Today there is a volunteer association to maintain this tradition alive and the entire village gets involved and receives its hams at the end of the day. The holiday atmosphere is not because of the killing but because we eat local, organic, traditional food and our family, that day, is as big as the entire village. The old grandmother of the village called the “Matancera” coordinates all the works of the day. Among talking, joking and laughing each one is in charge of a different task. We prepare the delicious Sobrassada, Butifarrò, Camaiots and Longaniza hams. These tasty hams are prepared with pork meat, salt, pepper and spices (not hot, don’t worry!). Nothing is thrown away! For lunch we eat some parts of the pork with the typical “Porcella fregida amb alls” dish. So delicious!!! You have to try it too!!! That day there is work for everybody and there is local food for all the volunteers. In a world where food is an industrial product it is very important to maintain this old knowledge, to remember where we come from and to enjoy the pleasure of celebrating in a familiar and local environment.