Paio de Barrancos

Description: Filled with about 30 to 40 cm in length and 6 to 8 cm in diameter. It is prepared with selected meat, mixed with some fat from the meat itself, condiments (salt, pepper from the garden, garlic and pepper) and water. The meat comes from the Alentejo breed pig, obligatorily castrated while still in piglet, slaughtered between 12 and 16 months and with a carcass weight of about 120 kg.

Region: Alentejo.

Other denominations: Meat Sausage.

Particularity: It has a cylindrical shape and is manually tied at both ends. It is a sausage whose curing process does not include smoking.

History: The sausage shop in Barrancos dates from the foundation of the village, around 1750. Initially it was done in the village of Noudar (Arabic name), where there was a military fortress (whose ruins are still visited today). Near it, in an area surrounded by ravines (streams), Barrancos grew due to a better geographical situation. Its isolation, as it is located on the left bank of the Guadiana River, not only allowed for greater commercial exchange with Spain, but also contributed to the development of its own individuality which, com-bined with the olive and agricultural wealth of the region, translated into ancestral habits and traditions.

Use: As a snack, after curing, which is consumed raw.

Know-how: It is made with selected meat with some fat, chopped with knives that allow the traditional cut. The meats are then seasoned with the following products: salt, garlic, pepper from the garden and pepper. Add water and let it ferment for 24 hours in vats. The tripe is pork and fresh, having been previously washed, turned and seasoned with orange slices. After filling, they are hung and displayed in rooms suitable for this purpose, where they are subjected to a natural curing process without smoke. The microclimate conditions in this region have always allowed this type of healing. The production season is that of montanheira (acorn-based) feeding, from December to February.

Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001