Description: The Morcela de Estremoz e Borba PGI is a smoke-cured sausage, made from the chaps, red meat and fat from Alentejana breed of pig added with salt, water, ground pepper, dried, garlic cloves, blood and clove. Cumin, wine and pepper may also be used if desired. The sausage is shaped like a horseshoe and is 20 to 35 cm in length and 2 to 4 cm in diameter. It is black, unshiny and with few wrinkles, with a semi-soft consistency. When the sausage is cut obliquely the colour is dark-red. The smell is pleasant and mild, garlicky flavour, smoked with a balance between sweet and salty. The fat is aromatic with a pleasant flavour and the texture is gristle-free and fairly smooth.
Production method: Morcela de Estremoz e Borba PGI is the product of chaps and red meat from the carcasses of Alentejana breed of pig. After selecting, washing and cutting into pieces of less than 3 cm, the remaining ingredients are added to produce the final product. Following preparation and seasoning, the product is left to mature, then moulded, tied, and smoked with wood from the region (holm oak).
Distinctive features: The characteristic flavour of Morcela 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: Morcela de Estremoz e Borba PGI is made in the municipal areas of Alandroal, Borba, Estremoz, Vila Viçosa and, in the Évora district.
History: The breeding of Alentejana breed of pig 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)
Control and certification body
Publication in EU official journal
Regulamento (CEE) n.º 2081/92 do Conselho de 27.4.2002 - C 102/2
Regulamento (CE) n.º 1258/2004 da Comissão de 9.07.2004 - L 239/7