Cecina (Oaxacan thin-cured pork)

Oaxaca and surrounding regions, Mexico — Etla and Ocotlán meat markets; traditional cured meat alongside tasajo and chorizo

Cecina is Oaxacan thin-sliced pork (or beef in some regions) that is butterflied into wide sheets, rubbed with chile and salt, then air-dried briefly before grilling or pan-cooking. Unlike tasajo (which is air-dried beef), cecina uses pork and is usually flavoured with a mild chile paste (ancho, guajillo) before drying. It is less intensely dried than tasajo and grills quickly at high heat. Available at Oaxacan meat markets alongside tasajo and chorizo. A component of the plato oaxaqueño.

• Spanish cecina (similarly named air-dried beef tradition)
• Italian bresaola (air-dried spiced beef)
• South American charqui (dried meat)

Mildly spiced, slightly dried pork flavour with char from grilling — less intense than tasajo, more complex than fresh-grilled pork