Spanish Chorizo Enters the US Market

No slaughterhouses in Spain have won approval from American authorities. Like other Spanish companies that export pork products to the United States, Palacios must import the pork from approved slaughterhouses in other European countries. Their pork comes from Denmark, and is cured using the Spanish method.

Because of the strict standards, Palacios is just one of three Spanish companies exporting cured pork products to the United States. “The problem,” Mr. García of Sánchez Romero explained, “is the American authorities do not recognize the European Union’s standards for production. They want companies to follow their own standards. And some companies do not want to change. We already sell around the world. We don’t need to sell in the U.S.”…

Even lacking the Iberian pork, Palacios chorizo, either sweet or hot, is far superior to American brands like Conte’s, which is springy and mild, and to the firm, sweet Quijote, which is quite good but markedly different. Not all the chorizos in the United States are made to mimic the Spanish. You can find Mexican chorizo, which has a finer texture and forceful heat, and sometimes Portuguese chorizo, which is softer.