Meat · Breed · Short entry
Avileña-Negra Ibérica
A black, horned breed of the mountains of central Spain, once a work animal and now a hardy beef breed. Herds move between the dehesas and the mountain pastures. Its calves are the basis of the Carne de Ávila IGP, which the Spanish ministry calls the country's first protected geographical indication for fresh meat.
Black cattle of the sierras
The ministry's catalogue traces the breed to the black cattle of the central Iberian Peninsula. From the second half of the nineteenth century its range narrowed to the Meseta Central, which gave the group its name "Serrana". It is now spread over about 20 provinces, mainly in mountains, sierras and dehesas. The coat is uniform black. Both sexes are horned, with slate-black horns or white horns with black tips. Males stand about 148 cm and weigh about 900 kg; females stand about 140 cm and weigh about 500 kg.
The animals once worked the fields and pulled carts. Today they are raised extensively, moving between the dehesa and the mountains, and the breed is tied to the transhumance routes (vías pecuarias). Under the IGP Carne de Ávila the dam must be of this breed. The breed also takes part in the Ternera de Extremadura and Carne de la Sierra de Guadarrama IGPs. The ministry cites the chuletón de Ávila as an example of its long-recognised meat.
How it connects
Place
- related Dehesa, Extremadura In preparation
Breed
- related Retinta
