Chouriço Raiano

Description: Product made from noble pork meats (loin and leg meat) and some fat. The length is 15 to 20 cm, the width 4 to 5 cm and the weight 250 to 350 g.

Region: Center.

Particularity: Sausage filled in the small intestine of the pig, with the color of ox's blood, smooth exterior texture, hard and compact when cut into slices. It has a slightly spicy flavor and a longitudinal shape.

History: In his work on the municipality of Sabugal, Manuel Leal Freire says: «Sober is the food of the inhabitants of Beira... Pork almost always arrives at the lady of the house, for the whole year in a true marvel of economy. The bacon... the sausages, farinheiras and black pudding are cut into pieces and calculatedly distributed over the days of the festival and the week... The pork loins are chopped for chorizos, after a piece has been taken to offer to the parish priest, to a relative or a more senior person such as the teacher».

Use: It is intended to be consumed just as it is or in traditional dishes of the region.

Know-how: Cut the meat into relatively small pieces that are placed in a container in vinha-d'alhos (sauce consisting of wine from the region, garlic, salt, sweet paprika and spicy paprika) for 3 to 4 days. After this time, a thin pork casing is filled. Tie the ends with cotton thread and go to the smokehouse (with oak and chestnut wood) for 2 to 3 weeks.

Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001