Chapter IV – Cured Ham in Portugal

We advance you that discovering cured ham in Portugal is not an easy task.

In previous chapters we have learned about the different types of cured ham in Spain. The question today is, do you know how many types of cured ham there are in Europe? Without doubt many more than we could imagine .

Today we are going to get to know cured ham in Portugal. Let’s move on to Europe.
From ibericomio we have done some research on our neighboring countries. Just counting the Portuguese “Presuntos”, the Italian “Prosciutto” and the French jambons with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) we would have 23 varieties of ham in Europe. We still have many countries to investigate, but let’s start with these three countries and these 23 varieties of European ham.

What are the characteristics of Portuguese cured ham?

The characteristics of Portuguese cured ham are very similar to those of Spanish Iberian ham. In fact, it is very common to breed Iberian pigs in Portugal, which are then slaughtered in Spain.

The following is a brief review of some of the most famous hams in Portugal.

Our neighbors in Portugal have three autochthonous breeds of Pork or Porco as it is called in Portuguese; the Porco Malhado de Alcobaça, the Porco Bísaro and the best known, the Porco Alentejo, the Porco Alentejo de Alentejo.the Porco de Alentejo which for many would be a lineage of the Iberian.

The Alentejo pig comes from the same trunk as the Iberian pig. and is raised in the wild in the Portuguese Dehesa and also in intensive farms. In fact, according to several sources, most of the pure Alentejo pig is sent to Spain to maintain the original Iberian genetics.
Just as in Spain we have the RD 4/2014 which establishes the Iberian standard, in Portugal we have the law 95/2014 with the objective of clarifying terminology and denominations of porco preto, pata negra, pork or porco alentejano.

In Portugal there are 2 hams protected with Denomination of Origin (DOP) and 4 hams with the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) seal. Let’s get to know these hams a little better:

Portuguese cured ham, except for the production of Presunto Industrial by two or three companies, Presunto de Porco Preto, is a very artisanal ham.

Which Portuguese hams have PDO?

Presunto DOP Barrancos

It comes from Alentejo breed pigs raised mostly outdoors and extensively in the regions of Beja, Évora, Portalegre and part of Setúbal. However, the production of Presunto de Barrancos DOP can only be made in the Portuguese municipality of Barrancos in the south of Portugal on the border with Huelva. The small municipality of Barrancos has very good climatic conditions that allow the curing to take place in a natural way.
The ham is cured from 12 to 24 months. It is one of the few Portuguese hams that are not smoked.

Presunto de Alentejo DOP

The Presunto de Alentejo DOP, in the same way as the Presunto de Barrancos, comes from “porcos” Alentejo. Moreover, in this case, the rearing area is the same as in the previous case and extended to other regions further north, such as Castelo Branco or Faro. The ham production area corresponds to the rearing area. In all cases, the pigs must be 100% Alentejo breed.
Unfortunately, the quantity of Alentejo DOP hams is scarce and does not exceed 2,000 units. The IGP hams from Portugal are hams, in many cases, already smoked.

¿Cuántos jamones DOP se elaboran en Portugal?

The reality is that the total herd of Portuguese breed pigs is very small. It is very difficult to find Portuguese hams with the PDO’s or PGI’s that we have seen. Many of these hams are sold locally at regional fairs. Finding them in modern distribution is not easy.

Which cured hams from Portugal with PGI?

• Presunto Bísaro IGP

Raised and processed in the north of Portugal and always from 100% Bísaro pigs. They are animals fed with vegetables, seasonally a lot of chestnut and supplemented with cereals.

• Presunto Barroso IGP

Like Bísaro ham, it comes from Bísaro “porcos” but 50% or 100% raised extensively in the regions of Montalegre, Boticas and Chaves in northern Portugal. These animals are fed with cereals, potatoes and cabbage among others. After the curing process, the Presunto Barroso PGI is rubbed with olive oil and paprika. Afterwards, they are smoked with wood from native trees for a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of 3 months.
The resulting ham is usually large in size, so its curing is not excessive in comparison with other Portuguese hams.

• Presunto Melgaço IGP

It is a ham made from pigs of the Bísaro breed like the previous ones and also in the north of Portugal. In addition, its elaboration process is the same as the Presunto Barroso.

• Presunto Santana da Serra IGP

In this case they are “porcos” Alentejano that can be raised in the center and southwest of Portugal. Curing can only be done in the municipality of Ourique. The main parish where they are produced is Santana da Serra. The hams must always be cured for a minimum of 6 months.

Main differences between Spanish cured ham and presumed cured ham

Spanish cured hams are of many types. There is cured ham bodega, reserva, gran reserva. Then we find hams with PDO, hams with PGI, hams under the Serrano ham ETG, Iberian hams with or without PDO. All these cured hams have different characteristics.

Similarly, Portuguese cured hams, the presunto de porco, have many varieties. Therefore, we at ibericomio do not dare to establish differences in a table with the general characteristics of a Spanish cured ham and those of a Portuguese presunto.

We already know a little more about cured ham in Portugal. Now, our goal is to introduce you to the most renowned cured hams in Europe. In chapter V of the series How much do you know about cured ham? we will talk about cured hams from our other neighbors. What cured hams from France do you know? Follow us on this blog and in a few days you will discover them all.