Description
Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre PGI is a smoked sausage made from the meat and fat of the Bísaro PDO breed of pig with the addition of dried pumpkin. The pumpkin used, locally known as botelha or cabaça, is grown locally and is the Porqueira variety. The meat is seasoned with salt, garlic, red or white wine and hot or sweet paprika.
Production Area
Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre PGI is made in the municipal areas of Boticas, Chaves and Montalegre in the Vila Real district.
Production Method
Usually the fattier cuts of meat are used for this sausage, chopped into small pieces and seasoned with salt, garlic, the local wine and left to marinate for four or five days. The pumpkin is prepared separately by being cut in half and having the seeds removed. The flesh is then scraped out with a spoon. The resulting pulped flesh is placed in a muslin cloth and squeezed to remove the water and it is left to dry for two days. The two ingredients are mixed and stuffed into natural pork intestine skins. The sausages are then cut and tied with pure cotton string to the desired lengths. The ends are tied together to make a horse shoe shape. They are then smoked over a slow burning fire in smoking rooms or in traditional fire places, for a period of 10 to 15 days. The smoke is obtained from burning the local oak wood.
Appearance and Flavour
Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre PGI comes in a horseshoe shape, is cylindrical in section, has a diameter of about 6 cm and varies in length. It has a rough texture and has a chestnut orange colour. The flavour is characteristic of the area with hints of pumpkin and it has a pleasant smoky taste.
History
The slaughter of the pigs is cause for great local celebration and is an important tradition for the local population of Barroso. The grandness of this festival reflects the importance given to pig breeding in this region and the particolar traditions of the local population. The festival for the pig slaughter is the most characteristic in Trás-os-Montes and all the local families who are in any way involved in the butchering, sausage making and ham making, gather to take part in it. A thing of pride for the population of this region is to see the walls of their kitchens hung with these sausages in the winter time.
Gastronomy
Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre PGI is preserved so as to maintain its particolar characteristics, thus it is kept cool and is vacuum packed. It can be eaten alone or as an accompaniment to traditional Portuguese dishes. It is cooked in the following ways: roast, boiled or used as an ingredient for soups and bean disse (feijoada).
Marketing
This sausage is sold whole and prepacked as Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre PGI.
Distinctive Features
The unique features of Chouriço de Abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre PGI are closely related to the area where it is made, to the local breed of pig and its particular feed as well as the special qualities of the local pumpkins and the traditional method of stuffing the skins and smoking the sausages, which are still in use today.
