Chouriço de Portalegre PGI

Description: Chouriço de Portalegre PGI is a smoked sausage comprising meat and hard fat of Alentejana breed of pigs, in pieces bigger than 1.5 cm, with added salt, dry ground garlic, sweet pepper, red pepper paste and sometimes white wine of the Portalegre region. The casings used are dry, natural intestines of cattle or pigs.

Production method: The meat and fat from the leg, shoulder, loin and ribs of the pig is chopped into 2 cm pieces and water and seasoning are added. The resulting mixture is left to marinate at a temperature of 10 °C and at 80-90% humidity and then stuffed into the casings by hand. Lastly the sausages are smoked for between 3 and 10 days over oak wood fires exclusively.

Distinctive features: The characteristic flavour of Chouriço de Portalegre PGI is largely due to the utilization of offal and fat from Alentejo pure bred pigs with an acorn-rich diet.

Production area: Chouriço de Portalegre PGI is made in the Portalegre district.

History: Chouriço de Portalegre PGI is part of a wide range of traditional sausage from the Portalegre region, developed throughout the centuries in order to cope with the concentration of pork supply in a short period of the year, and taking advantage of an enabling micro climate influenced by the Serra de São Mamede and from the know-how of the local population. This led to the development of local traditional techniques of pork processing and conservation by processes of salting and drying.

Product specification (pdf)

Geographical area

Producer group
NATUR-AL-CARNES - Agrupamento de Produtores Pecuários do Norte Alentejano, S. A.

Control and certification body

Publication in EU official journal
Regulamento (CE) n.º 1875/97 da Comissão de 26.09.1997 - L 265/26
JOCE C24 de 24.1.1997 – publicação do período de oposição

Publication in the Portuguese official journal
Rectificação n.º 2940/2000 – 30.11.2000
Aviso n.º 7820/2000 – 06.05.2000