Cecina de León redirects here
In Spanish, cecina (Latin America) or (Spain) means "meat that has been salted and dried by means of air, sun or smoke". The word comes either from the Latin siccus (dry) or from the Celtic ciercina related to modern Spanish cierzo or northern wind.
In Spain, cecina is similar to ham but is made by curing beef, horse or (less frequently) goat, rabbit, or hare. The best known cecina is Cecina de León, which is made of the hind legs of beef, salted, smoked and air-dried in the province of León in northwestern Spain, and has PGI status.
The word cecina is also used to name other kinds of dried or cured meat in Latin America. In Mexico, most cecina is of two kinds: sheets of marinated beef, and a pork cut that is pounded thin and coated with chili pepper (this type is called cecina enchilada or carne enchilada). The beef version is salted and marinated and laid to dry somewhat in the sun. The marinated beef version can be consumed uncooked, similar to prosciutto. The pork "cecina enchilada" MUST be COOKED before consumption. The town of Yecapixtla is well known for its version of the dish, which varies from region to region.