Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre PGI

Description: Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre PGI is a horseshoe-shaped smoked sausage, with a diameter of approximately 6 cm, made from the meat and fat of pure or cross bred ‘Bísaro’ pigs and drained ‘Porqueira’ pumpkin , seasoned with salt, garlic, chilli and/or red bell pepper. It has a rough exterior, varying in colour from orange to dark brown. Its interior consists in a soft and dry paste where small pieces of meat shreds are visible.

Production method: The pumpkin interior is scraped out with a spoon and left to drain for 2 days. Fatty cuts of meat are cut into small pieces, seasoned with salt, wine and garlic and left to marinate for up to 5 days at a temperature below 10 °C in a room with low humidity. Chilli and/or red bell pepper powder are added. The drained pumpkin interior is then added. Afterwards this mixture is stuffed and the sausage is tied in order to acquire a horseshoe shape and smoked over a slow burning fire for a period of 10 to 15 days. The smoke is obtained from burning the local oak wood.

Distinctive features: The unique features of Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre PGI are closely related to the breed of pig and its particular feed, as well as with the special qualities of the local pumpkins and the traditional method of stuffing and smoking the sausages, which are still in use today.

Production area: The geographical area for meat and fat production encompasses the municipalities of Boticas, Chaves and Montalegre (area traditionally known as ‘Barroso’), in the Vila Real district. The geographical area for the production of pumpkins and for the processing and packing of the sausages encompasses the municipality of Montalegre.

History: Due to the geographic isolation of the Barroso region, the local diet became essentially limited to the local production. The countless references to the taxation of pigs and pork products in various municipal registers, including that of Montalegre, demonstrate the antiquity and the importance of these activities in this region. Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso—Montalegre PGI is an example of the preservation techniques locally developed and passed down from one generation to the next in order to assure pork meat availability throughout the year.

Product specification (pdf)

Geographical area

Producer group
Associação dos Produtores de Fumeiro da Terra Fria Barrosã

Control and certification body
Kiwa Sativa – Unipessoal, Lda.

Control plan
Control plan (pdf)

Publication in EU official journal
Regulamento (CE) n.º 148/2007 da Comissão de 16.2.2007 - L 46/14
Publicação do pedido de registo (2005/C 329/08), de 24.12.2005

Publication in the Portuguese official journal
Aviso n.º 7854/2001, de 8 de junho