Farinheira de Estremoz e Borba PGI

Description: Farinheira de Estremoz e Borba PGI is a smoke-cured sausage, shaped like a horseshoe with 8 to 15 cm in length and 2 to 4 cm in diameter, made with soft fat from the meat of Alentejana breed of pig added with wheat flour (at a ratio of 40% fat to 60% flour), salt, water, ground pepper and dried garlic cloves. It has a yellow-orange colour, smooth and unshiny, with a semi-soft to pasty consistency. It has a pleasant smell and flavour, mild, garlicky, smoked, with a balance between sweet and salty. The fat is aromatic with a pleasant flavour and the texture is low in fibre and very smooth.

Production method: Farinheira de Estremoz e Borba is made from pieces of soft fat from pigs of the Alentejana breed, cut into pieces of less than 1cm, to which wheat flour is added in the ratio of 40% fat to 60% flour. After selecting, washing and cutting the fat, the remaining ingredients are added. Once the seasoning has been added the product undergoes the processes of maturing, filling, tying and cold curing, with slow smoking (never less than four days) using wood from the region (holm-oak).

Distinctive features: The characteristic flavour of Farinheira de Estremoz e Borba PGI is owed almost entirely to the oak tree which thrives in this area. The acorns are fed to the Alentejana breed of pigs and its wood is used for smoking the sausages.

Production area: Farinheira de Estremoz e Borba PGI is made in the municipal areas of Borba, Estremoz, Vila Viçosa and Alandroal, in the Évora district.

History: The breeding of Alentejano pigs has always provided alternative nourishment and compensates to some extent for the deficiencies of bad harvests. Many popular fresh meat dishes and succulent sausages can be made from the meat of these animals. These sausages served for a long time to nourish farmers, who stopped work at lunchtime to enjoy them. The fact that they were easily transported and withstood changes in temperature meant that they were used extensively. Now, as ever, we can claim that pork enjoys great socioeconomic importance; from the raw substance that is Alentejana breed of pig, the regional sausages of Estremoz and Borba are made, with their distinct and unbeatable taste.

Product specification (pdf)

Geographical area

Producer group
APETAL- Agrupamento de Produtores de Enchidos Tradicionais do Alentejo Lda

Control and certification body

Publication in EU official journal
Regulamento (CEE) n.º 2081/92 do Conselho de 13.7.2002 - C168/10
Regulamento (CE) n.º 1486/2004 da Comissão de 20 08.2004 - L 273/9