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Pluma ibérica

Pork · Loin
Grill

Pluma ibérica is known in English as Iberian pluma.

Also called
🇺🇸🇬🇧Iberian pluma🇫🇷Plume ibérique🇮🇹Pluma iberica🇩🇪Pluma (Iberico)
Raw Pluma ibérica — Pork Loin cut

El Pantera, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons — PlumaIberica_ALaPlanchaDSC06673.JPG

A small, fan-shaped muscle (about 100–150 grams per pig) at the front end of the pork loin where it meets the head, found only on Iberian pigs. Heavily marbled with intramuscular fat, full-flavoured, and traditionally served thick-cut and quickly seared on a plancha to medium-rare. One of the three premium Iberian pork cuts alongside secreto and presa, distinct from both. Best preparations are a la plancha or grilled rare and sliced thin against the grain.

Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇺🇸United StatesIberian plumaSometimes labelled 'Iberian pork pluma' on US restaurant menus.
🇬🇧United KingdomIberian pluma
🇲🇽MexicoPluma ibérica
🇦🇷ArgentinaPluma ibéricaNot a traditional Argentine cut; appears at high-end Spanish-influenced restaurants.
🇫🇷FrancePlume ibérique
🇪🇸SpainPluma ibéricaprimarySpanish primary; 'pluma' refers to the feather-like fan shape of the muscle.
🇵🇹PortugalPluma ibérica
🇧🇷BrazilPluma ibérica
🇮🇹ItalyPluma ibericaSpanish loanword used in Italian specialty butchers and high-end restaurants.
🇩🇪GermanyPluma (Iberico)Sold under the Spanish name in German Iberian-pork specialists.
What to ask for
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Pluma ibérica

Amazon · The cut itself

Find Pluma ibérica or its closest English equivalent

Naming and trim vary by seller — check the listing against the guide above before you order.

Iberico pluma (when available)

Similar cuts

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Classic recipe

Pluma Ibérica a la Plancha6 min

The classic Spanish treatment of one of the four prized Iberian-pork cuts. A screaming-hot plancha or cast-iron pan, coa…

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Steak searing in a cast-iron skillet beside an unbranded knife

$ · indoor steak searing and plancha-style cooking

Sear pluma fast on both sides without drying it

Hard sears when a grill is unavailable or inconvenient.

Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet

Unbranded meat thermometers beside a resting steak

$$ · steak and roast doneness without guesswork

Stop at medium, where pluma is still tender

Checking steaks, roasts, chops, and thick cuts quickly.

ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE

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Secreto ibérico

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Kassler

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Lagarto ibérico

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All Loin cuts →

Sources