Chouriço de Portalegre

Chouriço de Portalegre is a smoked sausage produced from the fresh meat and hard fat of Alentejo pigs reared outdoors in an agroforestry system in the Portalegre region of Alto Alentejo. The raw material, the traditional cutting method known as miga, and the smoking process using wood from the region are all mandated by the specification.

About this designation

Registered as a PGI on 24 January 1997 under file number PGI-PT-0024 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013428), Chouriço de Portalegre is a smoked sausage classified as a meat-based product. The specification requires that raw material consist of fresh meat and hard fat from carcases of Alentejo pigs. Those pigs must be reared outdoors under extensive or semi-extensive conditions in an agroforestry system, grazing and consuming acorns in the oak forests of the Alentejo region. The consistency of the product is stated to vary with the rations and the percentage of acorns in the feed of those pigs. Production must follow a traditional process comprising cutting by the method known as miga, seasoning, filling, and smoking, and must take place on authorised premises located within the geographical area of Portalegre. The specification links the product's characteristics to the particular micro-climate of the Portalegre region, characterised by cold, dry winters, and to the use of regional spices and wood from the region for smoking. The inspection body named in the specification is AADP — Associação de Agricultores do Distrito de Portalegre, located at Parque de Leilões de Gado, Portalegre. Obligatory labelling must carry the designation Chouriço de Portalegre — Indicação Geográfica together with a numbered control mark. The applicant group at the time of registration was Natur-al-Cames, Agrupamento de Produtores Pecuários do Norte Alentejo S.A.

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

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 24 January 1997 under file number PGI-PT-0024, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013428.
• Raw material must come exclusively from Alentejo pigs reared outdoors in an agroforestry system, grazing and consuming acorns.
• The traditional cutting method is designated miga; smoking must use wood from the Portalegre region.
• Each unit must carry obligatory labelling reading Chouriço de Portalegre — Indicação Geográfica and a numbered control mark.

Tasting notes

Alentejano coarse-ground pork sausage with paprika, traditional Alentejano preparation. Deep red color, balanced flavor.

HoReCa use

Chouriço de Portalegre is used in Alentejano charcutaria and in regional preparations including açorda alentejana.

Packaging

• vacuum-pack-200-400g
• deli-sliced-vacuum-100g