Production method: Paia de Estremoz e Borba PGI is a product made from the meat (bacon, topside, chaps and leg) of Alentejana breed of pig, cut into pieces of less than 5 cm, with the sausage containing no more than 30% fat. After selecting, washing and cutting the pieces, the remaining ingredients are added to produce the final product. Following preparation and seasoning, the product is left to mature, then it is moulded, tied, and smoked with wood from the region (holm oak).
Distinctive features: The characteristic flavour of Paia de Estremoz e Borba PGI is owed almost entirely to the oak tree which thrives in this area. The acorns are fed to the Alentejana breed of pigs and its wood is used for smoking the sausages.
Production area: Paia de Estremoz e Borba PGI is made in the municipal areas of Alandroal, Borba, Estremoz, Vila Viçosa and, in the Évora district.
History: The breeding of Alentejano pigs has always provided alternative nourishment and compensates to some extent for the deficiencies of bad harvests. Many popular fresh meat dishes and succulent sausages can be made from the meat of these animals. These sausages served for a long time to nourish farmers, who stopped work at lunchtime to enjoy them. The fact that they were easily transported and withstood changes in temperature meant that they were used extensively. Now, as ever, we can claim that pork enjoys great socioeconomic importance; from the raw substance that is Alentejana breed of pig, the regional sausages of Estremoz and Borba are made, with their distinct and unbeatable taste.
Product specification (pdf)
Producer group
APETAL- Agrupamento de Produtores de Enchidos Tradicionais do Alentejo, Lda
Control and certification body
Publication in EU official journal
Regulamento (CEE) n.º 2081/92 do Conselho de 27.04.2002 - C 102/12
Regulamento (CE) n.º 1258/2004 da Comissão de 9.07.2004 - L 239/7
Publication in the Portuguese official journal
Despacho n.º 9081/2000 de 03.05.2000