Description
The Chouriço Mouro de Portalegre PGI is a smoked sausage made from the meat, fat, blood, heart and kidneys of the Alentejana PDO breed of pig with the addition of sweet or hot paprika, salt, garlic and sometimes cumin and local wine.
Production Area
Chouriço Mouro de Portalegre PGI is made throughout the Portalegre district.
Production Method
The meat and fat, cut into pieces of between 2 cm and 2.5 cm, and the finely chopped offal with the seasoning and water are mixed to a paste and left to marinate for three days at a temperature of less than 10°C in 80-90% humidity. The resulting mixture is stuffed into the casing (natural beef intestine). The sausages are then smoked for about ten days over oak fires.
Appearance and Flavour
Chouriço Mouro de Portalegre PGI has a dark reddish chestnut colour and has a typical semi-rigid consistency. It is about 30 cm long with a diameter of between 2 cm and 4.5 cm. When sliced the sausage has a smooth, paste-like appearance and is greyish or reddish chestnut in colour.
History
The delicious traditional sausages of Portalegre, which in the past were the local population's staple diet, today are much sought after local specialities and served in the best restaurants all over the country. Already at the end of the 19th century the writer, Bento da Maia, in his cookery book, described the excellent sausages of Portalegre and the traditional method of making them which is still used today. Chouriço Mouro de Portalegre PGI is one of the traditional local sausages from this area.
Gastronomy
Chouriço Mouro de Portalegre PGI must be kept at a temperature of between 5°C and 15°C or it can be preserved in olive oil. It is eaten as it is or as the principal ingredient in many traditional local dishes.
Marketing
This sausage is sold as Chouriço Mouro de Portalegre PGI. It is sold whole and usually prepacked.
Distinctive Features
Chouriço Mouro de Portalegre PGI is the sausage made from the Alentejana breed of pig par excellence. All the ingredients come from this pig and it is the official symbolic food of the Alentejo region.
