Chouriça de Carne da Guarda

Description: The Guarda Meat Sausage weighs between 150 to 250 g, has a length (when stretched) of 20 to 25 cm and a diameter of 2,5 to 3,5 cm. It is in the shape of a horseshoe. The inner mass is cohesive, so it does not disintegrate when cut into slices. The casing consists of casing. Although pork fats are not expressly added to it, sausages dose, after being ready, about 30% fat. They have a slightly spicy taste.

Region: Center.

Particularity: Sausage with the color of ox's blood, horseshoe-shaped, medium texture, cohesive dough and stiff when cut into slices.

History: The manufacture of these sausages is a very old tradition in the region. Revealing of this situation are the popular quatrains sung in Janeiras, in which boys and girls sing and ask for traditional products through the doors. Joaquim Manuel Correia collected the fol-lowing quatrain: «Get up there, lady / From that cork bench. / Come and give us Janeira / Or black pudding or sausage.» It also states that "... the butlers always add many sausages and many parts of the pig...». «Sausages sometimes make a lot of money because there are always those who finish them very well...». Maria de Lourdes Modesto also mentions this sausage, giving indications about its confection.

Use: The Guarda Meat Sausages are eaten as they are, cooked or roasted. They always make an excellent meal or, at least, a good snack.

Know-how: The socalled "noble" pork meats (with the exception of the loins) are cut into medium pieces and seasoned with salt, garlic, sweet paprika and ground chilli. To top it off, they are added wine from the region and water, or just one of these ingredients. The meats marinate in this garlic vineyard for 24 to 48 hours, after which they are used to fill the tripe. Once knotted and bent, the sausages go to the oak and chestnut wood smokehouse for about 2 to 3 weeks. After smoking, they are stored in a cool, dry place to prevent the appearance of moulds.

Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001

Bísara Pig Breed Standard: As defined in the Studbook Regulation, Bísara Breed pigs are morphologically characterized as follows:

General appearance — Large animals, they reach 1 m in height and 1,5 m from the nape of the neck to the root of the tail;
Coat — White, black or spotted; usually thick skin and the bristles are usually long, thick and abundant;
Head — Thick and with a concave profile; occip-ital crest directed forward, thick and long proboscis, large mouth. Long, wide and pendulous ears, without covering the eyes. Poorly developed face and reduced jowls;
Neck — Long and regularly muscled;
Trunk — Thorax high, flattened and shallow, with long and slightly arched ribs Long back, convex dorsal-lumbar line. Belly sag-gy, with ten teats or more. Wide flank and little descent. Croup of good length but narrow, drooping and not very muscular. Medium-set and thick tail;
Limbs — Of regular uprightness, long, bony and lit-tle muscled. Feet well developed but soft.

Sources:
ANCSUB – Associação Nacional de Criadores de Suínos de Raça Bísara
Agroquisa – Ciências para a Qualidade de Vida
Ruralbit – Fotografias de Raças Autóctones