Jabalí Patagónico

Wild boar (jabalí) is part of Patagonia's hunted-game cuisine, particularly around El Bolson, Bariloche and the Andean lake district, where boars were introduced for hunting in the early 20th century and thrived in the wild forests. The meat is dark, lean and strongly flavoured, stronger than pork or deer. The most common preparation is a long braise in red wine with rosemary, garlic, wild berries and bay, the wine tenderising the tough meat and the rosemary and berries complementing its forest character. Eaten in mountain lodges and restaurants with mashed potatoes or polenta, it is the cold-weather game dish of the Patagonian south, and the hunting tradition is a significant part of rural life.

Dark, intensely gamey wild boar in a glossy red-wine sauce scented with rosemary and forest berries, the flavour deeper and wilder than farmed pork. Eaten by a fire after a day in the mountains, rich and primal.

The technique is a long wine braise. Wild boar, being very lean and tough, requires long, slow cooking in acid and liquid. The meat is cut into chunks, browned hard, deglazed with red wine, and simmered with rosemary, garlic, wild berries, bay and onion for 2 to 3 hours. The wine's acid breaks down the tough fibres, the rosemary gives a resinous forest note, and the berries add tartness and depth. The meat must be cooked until it literally falls apart, as undercooked boar is tough and chewy. The sauce is reduced at the end to a glossy glaze. A marinade in wine and herbs overnight improves the flavour further.