Carne Mirandesa

Carne Mirandesa is a PDO-protected beef designation covering refrigerated carcasses and cuts from calves and bullocks of the Mirandesa cattle breed, reared within a defined area of northeastern Portugal. Animals must be entered in the Zootechnical Register of the Mirandesa Cattle Breed. The designation is rooted in the region's status as the recognised birthplace of the Mirandesa breed.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO on 2 July 1996 under file number PDO-PT-0241 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013078), Carne Mirandesa covers refrigerated carcasses and pieces of calves and bullocks produced exclusively from animals of the Mirandesa Cattle Breed. The geographical area is restricted to the subdistricts of Bragança, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro, Vimioso, and Vinhais, in northeastern Portugal. All animals must be entered in the Zootechnical Register of the Mirandesa Cattle Breed; no other breed qualifies under the specification. The link between the product and its territory rests on the edaphological and climatic conditions of the area, which support natural grasslands and marshes with spontaneous vegetation in which grasses predominate over leguminous plants, constituting the natural habitat of the Mirandesa breed. The applicant group at the time of registration was AGROPEMA — Cooperativa Agro-Pecuária Mirandesa S.C.R.L., based in Malhadas, Miranda do Douro. The inspection structure is the Associação de Criadores de Bovinos da Raça Mirandesa, also based in Malhadas, Miranda do Douro. Labelling must carry the designation Carne Mirandesa and the indication Denomination of Origin.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 2 July 1996 under file number PDO-PT-0241, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013078.
• The specification permits only animals of the Mirandesa Cattle Breed entered in the Zootechnical Register of that breed; no other breed qualifies.
• The geographical area is restricted to six named subdistricts: Bragança, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro, Vimioso, and Vinhais.
• The inspection structure is the Associação de Criadores de Bovinos da Raça Mirandesa, based in Malhadas, Miranda do Douro.

Tasting notes

Trás-os-Montes beef DOP from native Mirandesa breed (Bragança, Miranda do Douro plateau). Distinctive characteristic Mirandesa profile, intensely beefy.

HoReCa use

Carne Mirandesa is associated with Posta Mirandesa, a wood-grilled beef preparation traditional to the Trás-os-Montes region.

Packaging

• Same as other beef DOPs