Some meats require an ageing time in order to be able to eat them in optimum conditions. In recent years, a new trend has appeared that is turning this ageing of beef into maturation, over-maturation and even extreme maturation, which has generated a debate, but with an agreement amongst gourmets and connoisseurs: ageing gives the meat more flavour and texture, it provides nuances; it can be compared to the aged meat of Iberian acorn-fed hams.

 When any beef animal is slaughtered, the meat needs a time for the rigor mortis to relax, which in the case of cows and oxen is at least 15 or 20 days. If the meat is eaten before this, it will be tough and leathery and a great deal of liquid will be released, because it will not have lost this during the ageing process.