From León to the world: the Spanish product that is a success in Dubai

Dubai aspires to be one of the culinary capitals of the world, and while many international chefs open their restaurants there, it is easy to associate the city with luxury, skyscrapers, a certain excess, and lots of caviar. What is probably less known is that in the capital of the United Arab Emirates and in other cities in Muslim countries, León's beef jerky has become an increasingly popular product. The halal version of this cured meat has become the perfect substitute for ham in many restaurants and gourmet shops.

Walking through the tranquil streets of Astorga, the capital of the Maragatería region in León, thinking about Doha or Dubai seems strange. Especially when sitting at the table with a hearty Maragato stew, always generous in pork-based sacraments that historically owe their name to a religious theme.

But these two seemingly distant places have something in common: cecina is very popular. In León because it is the country's main producer and the only one with a PGI that sets quality control standards for the product. In Muslim countries because this cured beef is delicious and compatible with the halal diet, which, among other things, excludes pork.

In León, everything gets smoked. It is one of the first lessons you learn around here when you come to learn about the process of making cecina. The other is more of a correction of a mistake repeated a thousand times: cecina is not a cured sausage, but a cured meat.

For its production - detailed by the PGI Cecina de León, which brings together a dozen certified companies - the hind leg of the cow is used, with a minimum fresh weight of 70 kilos. In addition to controlling the quality of the meat and its fat content, a minimum of seven months of curing is required after the salting and smoking process, which lasts between 12 and 16 days and always using oak or holm oak wood for smoking.

Also, the weight of the resulting pieces (topside, rump, shank or sirloin) is specified in the specifications sheet, which logically requires that production be carried out in León, even though the origin of the meat can be European.

Although the PGI Cecina de León has existed since 1994, it was not until 2004 that halal cecina began to be produced within this certification. Cecinas Nieto was the pioneer and, in fact, the only producer in the area until 2021, when Embutidos Ezequiel also started producing halal beef jerky from León.

“We have seen the evolution of the market and the increase in demand for halal products, but at the beginning it was challenging because Muslim customers were not aware that there was a cured beef product like cecina. So, it has been years of training and dissemination efforts both in Spain and in other countries,” explains Conchi Nieto, one of the company's managers in charge of the international market.

A pioneering strategy that led them in 2019 to raise the stakes and open a processing center dedicated exclusively to halal products. Although there is also chorizo and salchichón - made of beef, obviously - cecina remains the star of the brand, with this range representing approximately 15% of its total production. The vast majority is exported.

The reason is very simple: countries like the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia not only demand halal certification, but also require that production areas be exclusive for this type of products to prevent any contact with pork meat within the same space.

But what is the difference between halal cecina and standard cecina? Organoleptically, there is none. In fact, the only difference is that halal cecina is made with meat pieces that have been certified as halal in the slaughterhouse. The rest of the process - salting, washing, drying, smoking, and curing - is identical to that of traditional cecina from León.

“Perfect for charcuterie boards, tapas, or a tasty snack,” we read in one of the many gourmet stores in Dubai that offer León beef jerky. In fact, Conchi Nieto has just returned from this city in the Emirates, where they have been working with distributors for years and supply, among others, the Jumeirah Group, owner of some of the most luxurious hotels and restaurants in the country and also present in Abu Dhabi, Oman, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Spanish cuisine restaurants in Dubai are also great ambassadors of beef jerky from León, present for example in the new restaurant Jara by Martín Berasategui - which offers cecina croquettes on its menu - and also in La Nina and Tatel Dubai. Clap, inspired by Japanese cuisine and with locations in Riyadh, London, Beirut, Ibiza, and Dubai, is also among the clients of this product from León.

Anyway, it was the 2022 Qatar World Cup that sparked a real craze for León beef jerky within the gastronomic offering of Muslim countries. The demand for halal beef jerky increased by 800%, recalls Conchi Nieto, which resulted in around 1500 kilos of this beef jerky being destined for this country in just one month of sporting competition.

The comparison with Iberian ham is inevitable, although they are clearly two very different products, including in terms of their international reach. However, it is clear that where Spanish ham cannot reach, cecina de León has managed to make a name for itself.