Chistorra de Navarra

Appearance & taste

Chistorra has an even cylindrical shape, is 17 to 25 mm thick and of varying length. According to the specification it resembles chorizo, but is thinner. When cut it is uniformly reddish, mainly because of the red pepper. The meat is cleanly and finely minced, so that lean meat and fat can be clearly told apart; the texture is not tough.

The finished sausage contains at most 3 % salt. The dry matter contains at most 80 % fat and at least 14 % protein. If it is made in lamb casing without additives, the logo on the label may be shown on a green background.

Production

The mandatory ingredients are pork, pork fat, red pepper, garlic and salt; beef is not permitted. The casing is natural lamb casing or an edible, transparent collagen casing. Cayenne pepper, ordinary pepper, oregano and certain preservatives and antioxidants may also be added.

The meat and fat are minced, mixed with the other ingredients and stuffed into the casing. The sausages then stay in the curing room for at least two days. During this time the protein gels and the filling becomes firm and stable. All steps take place in Navarre.

Origin & history

The word “chistorra” comes from the Basque “txistor”, meaning “sausage”; Basque is the language historically spoken in Navarre. The sausage comes from Navarre and is now also made elsewhere in Spain, but the name with the addition “de Navarra” stands for the original sausage made from pure pork and pork fat. It has been documented in writing since at least the early 19th century: for the year 1817 it is mentioned as a dish of craftsmen. In the early 20th century it was part of the mid-morning snack, lunch and dinner in many places. At many village festivals and on the spring pilgrimages a “Txistorrada” is traditionally prepared.

Household economies were based on arable farming and livestock, above all pigs and sheep. The home slaughter, called “matatxerri” or “matacuto”, was a pillar of the farming family economy. According to the specification, the thin shape has two reasons: the casing was the small intestine of lamb or kid, locally called “ercemiñes”, “escemiñes” or “chinchorras”. And during the winter slaughtering season it rains on 40 to 50 % of days, in the north on more than 150 days a year. Thicker sausages then dry with difficulty; the thin chistorra is easier to preserve.