Description: Presunto/Paleta de Barrancos PDO produced, respectively, from the legs and shoulders of ‘Alentejana’ breed pigs, weighting an excess of 5 kg (‘presunto’) or 3 kg (‘paleta’). It may be marketed whole, in pieces or sliced, with or without bone.
Production method: The pigs are slaughtered at the age of 12 to 24 months. The hams are then processed throughout several phases (salting, curing, drying – maturing, ageing), slowly acquiring the appearance, colour, aroma and texture that make them special and unique.
Distinctive features: Presunto/Paleta de Barrancos PDO has a smooth, delicate, slightly salty, occasionally with a slightly spicy aftertaste, very tender and juicy.
Production area: The production area of the pigs used to produce Presunto/Paleta de Barrancos PDO encompasses the generality of the districts of Beja, Évora and Portalegre and part of the district of Setúbal. The processing of Presunto/Paleta de Barrancos PDO is limited to the municipality of Barrancos, in the Beja district.
History: Presunto/Paleta de Barrancos PDO results from the Portuguese-Spanish conviviality that characterizes the history of Barrancos. In fact, unlike the majority of hams produced in Portugal, Presunto/Paleta de Barrancos PDO is dried rather than smoked. This product is part of a set of domestic manufacture products that were, simultaneously, a strategic reserve and a trading currency of the local economy.
Product specification (pdf)
Producer group
ACPA - Associação de Criadores de Porco Alentejano
Control and certification body
AGRICERT - Certificação de Produtos Alimentares, Lda
Control plan
Control plan (pdf)
Publication in EU official journal
Regulamento de Execução (UE) 2015/592 da Comissão, de 14 de abril de 2015
Publicação do pedido de alteração (2014/C432/09) - C432/16 - 02.12.2014