In the past, people had to find a way to keep food in good condition, since refrigerators were an appliance that were not yet in homes.

Thus, ways had to be found to help foods, such as meat, to stay fresh and in good condition for a long time.

One of these ways in which meat could be kept in good condition was to make it canned with the help of a daggerboard.

What is a daggerboard?

An orza is a vessel made of clay, which can be found in different sizes, and which was used to introduce food into it with oil and thus be able to preserve it while preserving all its properties.

The daggerboard was used in a special way to introduce the meat after the slaughter and thus create preserves that helped that meat to be in perfect condition.

But they could also be preserved with other types of food such as cheese, peppers, chorizos and others.

The orza has different uses, since in addition to using it to make preserves, it was also used by the elderly to help the olives ripen and create delicious dressings, for example.

Where does the daggerboard loin come from?

The lomo de orza is a highly appreciated and delicious preserve that enters into the gastronomy of several Spanish cities and communities. A dish with tradition that reaches our days as a haute cuisine food.

We can find it in Castilla La Mancha, especially in the Ciudad Real area, although it is also common in certain areas of Andalusia such as Córdoba, Granada, Jaén and Almería and also in the Valencia area.

It is possible that those who used the daggerboard as a means to preserve food for a long time without problems, had no idea that something that was so normal for them would become a true delicatessen.

How do you make the loin a la orza?

To make the daggerboard tenderloin, you have to follow some simple steps that will help make it delicious:

You have to fry the fresh loin in its lard in a pan with a bottom over low heat.
Add different spices such as cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, oregano or others that add a lot of flavor and a little lemon.
After cooking the loin, it is time to put it inside the daggerboard so that it cools down, which will make the lard solid.
The daggerboard should be left in a dark, cool and dry place. And the vessel has to be well closed so that the preserve is perfect. And it is that the best way for the spine to be well preserved is to prevent some light from entering it.

Although it has been explained that you have to fry the loin in its lard, but you can also make the loin a la orza using olive oil.

A very versatile recipe

The lomo a la orza is a recipe with a lot of flavor that, in addition, is very versatile when preparing different dishes.

This is how you can make the loin and accompany it with preparations such as a salad, potatoes or eggs, providing a rich menu that gives a lot of energy due to its forcefulness.

On the other hand, if what you want is a less strong menu, use it to make a skewer or prepare something lighter by cutting the loin into thinner slices as if it were cold cuts and inserting it into the bread as a sandwich, for example.

In addition to the many ways in which we can prepare a menu with lomo a la orza, it must be said that it is a food that can be perfectly preserved once it has finished cooking.

And it is that it can be put in glass jars together with the oil in which it has been prepared and left in the fridge. In this way it will last a long time and can be removed little by little as needed.

The lomo a la orza is a dish full of tradition that brings us a dish with maximum flavour, versatile because different preparations can be made and it can be kept as the first day for months.