ENCHIDOS: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PORTUGAL’S CURED SAUSAGES
Historically speaking, the Portuguese are masters at eating nose to tail. In spite of current day commercial demands, we still make sure to use every part of the animals we slaughter, particularly in the home context of more rural areas. It’s this zero waste mentality – first because of necessity and now because of the power of habit – that is behind Portugal’s range of enchidos, that is, our cured meats and sausages.
Bísaro pork at ‘Salsicharia Bísaro Traditional’, in Bragança.
The Portuguese have been eating pork in different forms for millenia, first wild boar and eventually domesticated animals. There are three autochthonous breeds of pig from Portugal, which currently have PDO (protected denomination of origin) status: Alentejano, which is the most popular Iberian black pig often referred to as porco preto; Bísaro, native to Minho and Trás-os-Montes regions in the north of the country, where there’s even an entire museum dedicated to pork; and Malhado de Alcobaça, which came about in the mid 1950 from mixing Bísaro pigs brought over from the Azores islands and fine bred English pigs. All these three varieties of pig are used for fresh cuts of meats as well as cured sausages, even though Iberian black pig (referred to in neighboring Spain as pata negra) is often the most complimented and prized because of the intensity of flavor thanks to the natural lifestyle of these pigs which range free in the Alentejo and have a diet of mostly acorns.
What is an “enchido”?
Enchido literally translates as “stuffed” and it stands for meats which have been prepared in various ways and stuffed inside pork tripe (or, to a lesser extent, other edible casings, including synthetic but edible ones in modern days). Enchidos came about from the need to use every single part of the animal, not only because historically no food could (and should) be wasted, but also because the matança do porco, that is, the pig slaughter would happen before winter would start, but was meant to yield enough food for the entire season.
The day of the slaughter was synonymous with feasting for families and neighbors, who would get together to kill the animal, make some dishes on the day itself and, while the meat was still fresh (particularly before the days of refrigeration), prepare it in various ways and cure it to last for months. Now-a-days, slaughtering pigs domestically is only allowed by the food hygiene and safety authorities if the meat is meant to be eaten by the same household where you sacrifice the animal. But, in reality, if you visit certain rural areas, you’d still be able to find home-made sausages which taste like no commercial counterpart ever could!
Portugal’s charcuterie: the most popular Portuguese sausages and cured meats
Summing up, enchidos are cured meats which resemble sausages, but that come in a variety of flavors and shapes. Even though enchidos are most commonly made with pork, Portugal’s cured sausages can also be prepared with other meats, as we are about to explore below.
Portuguese ham served at our Ethnographic Food Tours (photo taken by our guest Diane Gordon, during a food tour)
Enchidos can be eaten plain on their own, such as featured in charcuterie boards (tábua de enchidos), sometimes also served with regional cheeses; grilled to be enjoyed with bread (this happens particularly with roasted chouriço); in sandwiches; or in chunks to add flavors to some of the most representative dishes of Portuguese cuisine, such as cozido à Portuguesa, feijoada beans stew, and other one pot wonder and stews.
Presunto, Portugal’s take on cured ham
When you travel to Portugal, cured ham, aka presunto, is one of the must-try local meats! The good news is that it’s fairly easy to come by, as it’s usually included in good charcuterie boards at wine bars, served in small platters in taverns, sliced into sandwiches at any given café or pastelaria, and you could also easily purchase it at a regular supermarket.
Presunto consists of a salted pig’s back leg which is left to cure and dry – sometimes it may be smoked, but not necessarily. Similarly to jamón in Spain or prosciutto in Italy, presunto’s curing process makes the meat change its flavor and texture too. Technically this is not cooked meat, but it’s cured to various degrees, depending on the length of time the pig’s leg is left to dry – usually, the longer, the better! The taste of presunto tends to be salty but, way beyond that, it is deeply flavored and aromatic.
Some of the most prized cured hams from Portugal include those from Vinhais, which have PGI (protected geographical indication) status, just like those from Melgaço, Barrancos and Barroso also do. Presunto do Alentejo has PDO (protected denomination of origin) status, as it’s exclusively produced with the meat from Alentejano breed of pigs, which have a unique color, aroma and texture.
The preparation of paleta follows the same process of presunto, but instead of being prepared with the back legs of the pig it features the front legs, which have less meat, are cured for less time than presunto and, thus, are cheaper too. To best enjoy cured ham or paleta, make sure your slices are cut thin, very thin!
Alheira: Portuguese Jewish history in the shape of a sausage
Homemade ‘alheiras’ ready to be smoked (by Chef Natacha Dias)
Out of all Portuguese cured sausages, alheira is quite possibly the most ingenious. The history of alheira is intrinsically linked with the history of Jewish oppression in the Iberian Peninsula.
Alheira hails from the northern region of Trás-os-Montes, and it’s prepared with a mix of meats, mashed bread, and seasoning such as garlic, alho in Portuguese, responsible for the name of this enchido. When you order an alheira now-a-days in Portugal, it will most likely be prepared with pork, or a mix of pork and chicken. But at their inception, alheiras were prepared with poultry and game meats and no pork whatsoever (today, those are called alheiras de caça).
Alheiras were initially developed by the Jews of Portugal during the days of the Inquisition back in the 15th century. During those times, the christian rulers would force everyone to convert to Catholicism and thus Jews were harrassed to abandon their faith and traditions associated with it. Many of these newly converted folks, now called New Christians, didn’t actually abandon their faith or habits, they simply made it look like they did. And this is how they came up with the idea of making alheira, a sausage prepared with poultry and game meats, agglomerated with bread and various seasonings, which was shaped to resemble a more typical pork sausage. Looking at alheiras being smoked hanging inside a (former) Jewish family home, anyone who’d come by would immediately assume that, eating pork (which is not kosher) this was indeed a newly christian family.
How to make ‘alheiras’ with Chef Natacha Dias and her mother
Portugal has been enjoying the flavor of alheira for almost half a millenia. In most Portuguese taverns you can order a grilled alheira, which would normally be served with potato fries and a fried egg or, sometimes, boiled potatoes and sauteed leafy vegetables, such as turnip greens. It can also be used to flavor other dishes like the stews we explore below.
As mentioned, unless stated otherwise, alheira is prepared with pork – something Jews who invented it centuries ago could probably never imagine it’d happen! For the game and poultry version ask for alheira de caça, which may contain a variety of meats such as rabbit, partridge, pheasant, duck and other poultry, and it’s a little more expensive than pork alheira. Alheiras with IGP status include those from Mirandela, Montalegre and Vinhais, which are all located in Trás-os-Montes.
Farinheira, a sausage with no meat!
Following the same principle as alheira, farinheira was also invented by the Portuguese Jewish community. Not only did it not contain pork back in the day, it didn’t even contain meat! Today’s farinheiras are prepared with pig’s fat (not actual meat), mashed together with wheat flour (farinha in Portuguese, explaining the same of this sausage), massa pimentão (tangy red pepper paste), white wine, garlic and salt. A variant of farinheira which makes use of corn flour instead of wheat is farinheira de milho de Monchique, from the Algarve municipality by the same name, where they can also add a hint of cinnamon to the sausage’s recipe.
Farinheira is not the type of cured meat you’d find in a charcuterie board. It’s usually used to enhance dishes (such as slowly simmered stews or simple scrambled eggs) more than being eaten on its own. Either way, you’re always meant to cook it and you can’t really slice it as it would disassemble. Its texture is crumbly because of the scratch content, and the flavor is savory and quite exquisite, after some time curing in a smokehouse or at home, hanging on a rod by the fireplace.
Artisanal ‘chouriças’ by Salsicharia Vez, using local green wine. A project by Vasco Lima we visited while in Arcos de Valdevez.
Chouriço: paprika infused goodness inside pork intestine casings
“Encher chouriços” is a funny Portuguese saying that literally translates as “stuffing chorizos” and that stands for filling time or something with useless stuff, aka, wasting time. Popular sayings aside, we’re so glad Portugal just loves to spend time stuffing chouriços of all sorts!
The term chouriço is rather broad as it may encompass different types of cured and smoked sausages, usually inside pork intestine casings. The fillings of a chorizo vary depending on the producer and region of the country and, besides the usual filling of pork meat (when it has more meat than fat it’s often referred to as chouriço de carne or chouriça de carne), fat, paprika, wine and garlic, so many other ingredients may actually make it inside a chorizo! In the south of Portugal you’ll find chouriço Mouro, a variety which is darker and browner than the usual chorizo, because of the use of bloody meat trimmings. Regular chorizo tends to be brighter red thanks to the addition of red pepper paste in the recipe. Fans of strong flavors will probably like chouriço de cebola, flavored with onions and parsley. Even though chorizo isn’t usually as salty as other enchidos, namely presunto, there are actual sweet(ish) varieties, such as chouriço doce de Vinhais, prepared with blood and honey, and chouriço de abóbora de Barroso-Montalegre, with pumpkin.
Chorizos have a fairly dry texture, as they’re left to cure and smoke for several days or even weeks. Like many other enchidos, chouriços can be used as part of recipes or inside sandwiches. But one of the most striking ways of eating these paprika infused smoky sausages is grilled, something which can even happen at your table when you order chouriço assado, also known as chouriço à bombeiro (firefighter style chorizo). The sausage is grilled over alcohol in a clay vessel specifically designed for this purpose, which is in Portuguese known as canoa, or canoe. Once the fat starts dripping, the flames are put out, the meat is cut into bite sized pieces and enjoyed with bread which soaks up the fat and flavor. Fancy trying this fiery treat? Join one of our ethnographic gastronomic experiences in Lisbon and you’ll see it and taste it with us (see the image below)!
The term chouriça is often used interchangeably with chouriço, but to properly recognize the difference between these sausages, we ought to recognize that chouriça is usually thicker than chouriço. Chourição is yet another cousin of chouriço, in this case thicker and longer, often less cured than chouriço, and which is usually eaten thinly sliced in sandwiches – you’ll see it featured in deli counters and regular supermarket charcuteries!