Description
The Farinheira de Portalegre PGI is a smoked sausage made from 60% fat of the Alentejana breed of pig, wheat flour, water, salt, sweet paprika and pepper.
Production Area
Farinheira de Portalegre PGI is made in the Portalegre district.
Production Method
The pork fat is finely minced and mixed with garlic, salt, sweet paprika and a little water. The resulting paste is left to marinate for between two and five days at a temperature of no more than 10°C and 80% to 90% humidity. Wheat flour and boiling water is added to the mixture before it is stuffed into the casing (natural beef intestine). The sausage is smoked for 15 days over a slow burning oak wood fire.
Appearance and Flavour
Farinheira de Portalegre PGI is at most 35 cm long in a horseshoe shape tied at the ends with cotton string. It has a light yellowish chestnut colour, course textured with a smoky aroma of peppers. It is very lightly salted with a hint of spice.
History
Like all the traditional sausages of the Alentejo region the origin of Farinheira de Portalegre PGI dates back to the remote past. As this area is not over blessed with natural resources, sausages always guaranteed the survival of the Alentejo people. The characteristics of the sausage are inextricably linked to both the local environment, which has a particular micro-climate influenced by the nearby Serra de S. Mamede, and the skill of the local population themselves at sausage making.
Gastronomy
Farinheira de Portalegre PGI must be stored at a temperature of between 5°C and 15°C. It can be eaten boiled or roast. It is also used as an ingredient in traditional Portuguese dishes such as cozido, a rich soup which varies in ingredients depending on the area in which it is made. It does however include some common basic ingredients such as beans, potatoes, cauliflower, green cabbage, carrots, rice and obviously meat. It is a very high calorie dish, ideal for the region's cold winters.
Marketing
This sausage is sold as Farinheira de Portalegre PGI. It is either sold whole or in prepacked pieces.
Distinctive Features
The characteristic flavour of Farinheira de Portalegre PGI comes from the fat of the Alentejana PDO breed of pig which, in its turn, depends for its aroma on the principal ingredient of the pig feed which consists for the most part in acorns from the oak tree.
