Mojama de Barbate

Appearance & taste

The outer layer is dark brown. When cut, the mojama shows various shades of garnet red that become darker towards the edges, and the grain of the loin, much more clearly in the Primera category than in Extra. The texture is firm, smooth and not very fibrous; the smell and taste are those of oily fish. The salt content is between 3 and 9 %.

The Extra category comes from the inner part of the loin, attached to the backbone, the Primera category from the adjacent pieces of loin. Mojama is sold vacuum-packed as pieces or slices, or in slices in olive or sunflower oil, in jars or plastic trays.

Production

Only wild tuna of the species Thunnus albacares (yellowfin tuna) and Thunnus thynnus (bluefin tuna) with a live weight of over 150 kg are used; there is no restriction on where they come from. From the loin, according to the specification the finest part of the tuna, the two upper and the two lower quarters are processed.

In the area the tuna is washed and cut up, traditionally called “ronqueo”. The pieces are rinsed, salted and then rinsed several times until only the excess salt has been removed and the desired salt content has been reached. They are then pressed and dried in the open air or in specially equipped tunnels, trimmed and selected one last time before packing. Packing takes place at the business itself, so that the salt content and water activity are assured.

Origin & history

The area covers the municipalities of Barbate and Vejer de la Frontera in the province of Cádiz. According to the specification, thanks to the microclimate, drying takes place there under optimal conditions, naturally or in the tunnels.

Catching and salting tuna has a long tradition on the coast of the Gulf of Cádiz, going back to the Phoenicians and Tartessians; even then tuna were caught with net mazes. The Arabs refined the nets and founded the almadraba, fishing with net mazes close to the coast during the migration of the tuna from the Atlantic to their spawning grounds in the Mediterranean. In the Roman province of Hispania Baetica there were already businesses that salted tuna. Today small and medium-sized family businesses shape production. The Spanish inventory of traditional products from 1996 lists mojama as a traditional Andalusian product, mainly from Barbate and Isla Cristina; Barbate holds a week of tuna gastronomy.