History and origin
Pork loin seared to order, simple and generous
At the bar, lomo is usually a slice of pork loin cooked on the griddle. The heat should colour the surface quickly while keeping the meat supple; salt, olive oil and, depending on the house, a touch of garlic or parsley are enough. The pleasure owes less to a clever recipe than to cooking done to order.
The municipal gastronomy guide lists lomo a la plancha among Almería's popular tapas. That presence earns its place here — not a local birth. In Alhama, an ethnographic study preserves a far more specific preparation: lomo adobao, marinated with garlic, bay, spices, orange juice and white wine, then fried and kept in oil. It is another recipe altogether, and would deserve a page of its own.
Service varies from house to house: the meat arrives alone, with potatoes, with a fried green pepper or inside a small roll — at which point its proper name is montadito de lomo. Too much sauce would bury the griddle character. That simplicity makes it familiar and easy to share: the truth of a living bar, a counterpoint to the recipes of family transmission.