Description: Paia de Lombo de Estremoz e Borba PGI is a smoke-cured sausage, cylindrical, with 20 to 45 cm in length and 6 to 10 cm in diameter, made from a whole loin of Alentejana breed of pig, sometimes with the addition of up to 10% of streaks of fatty tissue. To this are added salt, water, ground pepper and dried garlic cloves. It has a reddish-black colour, smooth and unshiny, with quite a firm consistency. 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: Paia de Lombo de Estremoz e Borba PGI is the product of a whole loin of pork from Alentejana breed, with the possible addition of up to 10% of streaks of fatty tissue. After selecting, washing and cutting the pieces, the remaining ingredients are added. Following preparation and seasoning, the product is left to mature for approximately two days, after which it is cut lengthways into two equal halves. These two halves are then filled and covered with fat, to mould the sausage, which is then shaped, tied, and smoked with wood from the region (holm oak).
Distinctive features: The characteristic flavour of Paia de Lombo 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: Paia de Lombo de Estremoz e Borba PGI is made in the municipal areas of Alandroal, Borba, Estremoz and Vila Viçosa, in the Évora district.
History: The breeding of Alentejana breed of 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 socio-economic 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)
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 27.4.2002 - C 102/2
Regulamento (CE) n.º 1258/2004 da Comissão de 2004/09/07 - L 239/7