Lomo
The Spanish word for loin. On menus it usually means either fresh pork loin (lomo de cerdo) or cured pork-loin charcuterie (lomo embuchado).
Lomo on a Spanish menu can mean two different things. Fresh lomo (lomo de cerdo, lomo de ternera) is the loin cut: cooked, sliced, served as a main, often grilled or in a sauce. Cured lomo (lomo embuchado or just lomo) is a cured-pork-loin charcuterie: a whole loin seasoned with paprika and garlic, packed into a casing, air-dried for two to four months. The cured version is a fixture on any Spanish charcuterie plate, sliced thin, eaten cold with bread or alongside cheese. The high-end cured version (lomo ibérico de bellota) uses acorn-fed Iberian pig and is one of the more expensive items on a charcuterie board, in the same price tier as good jamón. Both meanings of lomo coexist; context (and the menu's category) tells you which.
How it's served
Fresh lomo: grilled, pan-seared or stewed, served hot as a main course. Cured lomo: sliced paper-thin like jamón, eaten cold on bread or as part of a charcuterie plate. The high-end Ibérico version (lomo ibérico de bellota) is served on its own with nothing else, the way a serious jamón is served.
Regional variation
Lomo embuchado is a Castilian tradition (the technique developed in Salamanca and Extremadura) but is now made across Spain. The Catalan and Basque versions sometimes substitute different curing spices. The Iberian version (lomo ibérico) is concentrated in Extremadura, Salamanca, Huelva and Córdoba, the same dehesa-pig regions that produce jamón ibérico.
- Origin
- Spain
- Etymology
- From the Latin lumbus ('loin').
Where to try it in Barcelona
2 restaurants on Guidavera mention lomo in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What does lomo mean on a Spanish menu?
Lomo means 'loin' but on a menu it usually means one of two things: fresh pork or beef loin cooked as a main course, or cured pork-loin charcuterie (lomo embuchado) sliced thin and eaten cold. Context tells you which: a 'lomo a la plancha' is fresh, a 'lomo ibérico' on a charcuterie plate is cured.
What's lomo embuchado?
Cured pork-loin charcuterie: a whole loin seasoned with paprika and garlic, stuffed into a natural casing, air-dried for two to four months. Eaten in thin slices on a charcuterie board, with bread or cheese. Less famous internationally than jamón but a staple of any Spanish cured-meat plate.
What's the difference between lomo and solomillo?
Different cuts. Solomillo is the tenderloin (filet), the most tender muscle on the animal. Lomo is the loin proper, larger and slightly less tender but more flavourful. Both can be eaten fresh; only lomo gets cured into charcuterie (lomo embuchado). On the same animal, solomillo is smaller and more expensive.
Related terms
- SolomilloThe Spanish word for tenderloin (filet). The most tender cut of beef or pork, usually grilled or pan-seared and served rare to medium-rare.
- Jamón ibéricoCured ham from the black-hooved Iberian pig. The top grade, jamón ibérico de bellota, comes from pigs fed on acorns in the dehesa.
- ChorizoThe iconic Spanish pork sausage, deep red from smoked paprika (pimentón). Comes cured (sliced cold like jamón) or fresh (cooked in stews and over coals).