Presunto do Alentejo

Appearance & taste

The ham comes from the leg, the shoulder ham from the shoulder. Their shape ranges from elongated and drawn out to roundish; the rind and the hoof are always kept. According to the specification, the black hoof immediately points to the pig of the Alentejana breed. A layer of fat surrounds the muscle. A ham weighs over 5 kg, a shoulder ham over 3.5 kg.

When cut, the meat is pinkish-red to dark red, oily, glossy and marbled with fat. It is soft, smooth, not very fibrous, very tender and juicy. The fat is greasy, almost liquid and has a pearly white sheen. The flavour is mild, only a little salty and lingering, sometimes slightly bitter to sharp, with a mild aroma of acorn fattening.

The hams are sold whole, in pieces or sliced, with or without the bone. Each piece bears a numbered certification mark through which it can be traced back to the animal’s ear tag; an engraving is also branded into the rind.

Production

The pigs of the Alentejana breed are entered in the breed’s herd book and are born and reared on registered farms. They live mainly outdoors, in oak woodland of cork and holm oaks with at least 40 trees per hectare and one pig per hectare. They eat stubble and cereal residues, grasses, legumes and small animals; only when the land does not yield enough may feed from outside be added, at most 30 % of the diet. This is always followed by 60 to 90 days of acorn fattening in the oak woodland, during which the animals must gain at least 45 kg. They are slaughtered at 12 to 24 months; the carcass weighs at least 90 kg.

The fresh legs and shoulders are given a numbered mark straight away. After trimming, the ham weighs at least 7.5 kg and the shoulder ham at least 5 kg. Then they are salted, washed, drained, dried, ripened and aged, using local methods. Nothing but salt is added, not even smoke: the climate dries the meat. Cutting, boning and slicing are only permitted in businesses in the area. Beforehand, experts determine the right point of ripeness and check the piece with their senses; it is cut into very thin slices, which are packed immediately, because the fat is easily spoilt by air and warmth.

Origin & history

The area covers the Alentejo and adjoining municipalities such as Castelo Branco, Idanha-a-Nova, Sabugal, Abrantes, Chamusca and Coruche, as well as individual parishes of Aljezur, Lagos, Monchique, Silves, Loulé, Tavira and Castro Marim. The soils are poor, the summers very hot and dry, the winters very cold and dry. According to the specification, under these conditions only the oak woodland of cork and holm oaks with its undergrowth is worthwhile, and the Alentejo pig makes the best use of it.

Written mentions of pigs in the Alentejo go back several centuries before Christ, and pigs and pork products are also recorded from Roman and Arab times. Farmers repeatedly argued about the damage pigs did in the fields and about their value as food. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, pig farming was one of the most important branches of livestock farming in the Alentejo. The hams are never cooked; they used to be reserved for festive occasions or were a prized gift.