The document discusses the Trás-os-Montes region of Portugal, known for its pork and sausage sector. It describes the region as located in the northeast corner of Portugal, with vast plateaus, mountains, and valleys. The economy has traditionally relied on agriculture like corn, wheat, grapes, and olive oil. The Bísaro pig breed originates from this region and is well-adapted to traditional farming methods. Products made from Bísaro pigs have protected geographical status, including smoked sausages and garlic sausages that are described as having high quality and flavor.
Trás-os-Montes | a little bit of the northeastern
1. Trás-os-Montes - Portugal
A little bit of the northeastern corner of Portugal
The Pork and Sausages’ sector
Alexandrina Fernandes 05-12-2011
2. Index
• Where we are
• General characteristics of the region
• The origin of the Bísaro Pig
• Description / breed standard
• Geographical area
• Exploration System
• Products
• Manufacturing process
Alexandrina Fernandes 05-12-2011
4. Trás-os-Montes is an historical province of
Portugal, located in the northeastern
corner of Portugal.
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16. • There is a popular saying:
"Beyond Marão, who rule are those who are
there"
("Para lá do Marão mandam os que lá estão")
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17. The Meat and Sausages’ Sector
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19. The Origin
- The rural values such as the Bísaro pig , are part of
our biological, economic and cultural heritage. For
centuries associated with the rural parts of the country, it
was scattered throughout the area at north of the river and
it was perpetuated until the present day.
- The Bísaro Pig was well maintained due to the traditions of
the peoples of the most isolated regions of the northern
Portugal and it remained with the same characteristics at the
end of the nineteenth century.
-Factors such as docility, ability to adapt
to traditional management, the prolificacy and meat
quality contributed to its maintenance.
Alexandrina Fernandes 05-12-2011
20. - The Bísaro has not escaped the trend, being the race
almost disappeared.
- The rediscovery of the genuine value happened a
few years ago by the renewed interest shown in the
quality of regional products.
- The potential of small farms situated in disadvantaged
areas of the country, have specific advantages that must
be preserved. The increase in value of traditional and
regional products, specifically the ”transmontana”
sausage allowed to revitalize the traditional pig,
using an indigenous genetic resource, the Bísaro Pig.
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21. Description / breed standard
• Bísaro pig can be characterized as a large animal,
reaching 1m in height and 1.8 m from the neck to
the base of the nail. It has a
dorsal lumbar convex profile and large ears which
are hanging. It is a rough race, but
well adapted to the traditional system.
• The accommodation requires special
care because they are animals with paws which
are very soft, making them limp easily.
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22. • Head - thick and concave profile; occipital crest
and directed forward. The snout is long and
concave. Big mouth. Ears broad, long and
hanging sometimes reaching the lower third of the
snout.
• Long neck and regular-muscled.
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23. - Stem-High, elongated, flat and shallow with
ribs slightly sprung and long. Long back, with
the midline convex. Belly tucked up. Flank wide
and slightly drooping. Croup of good length, but narrow, sloping
down and a little muscular. Thighs of good length but thick and not
very muscular. The tail is thick and medium insertion.
- Mammary system - udder of good size, well proportioned, with well
established and a number of roofs always greater than ten.
-Ends and angulation of members are poise, they are bony
but little muscular. The feet are well developed, but mild.
- Skin and hair - the thin skin is colored white, black
or mottled. The hairs or bristles are stiff and long. All animals have
the body covered with bristles.
- Skeleton is strong and thick, one can generally assume that they
are animals of great corpulence.
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24. Geographical area
• The region of Trás-os-Montes borders on the west by the province of Minho, by
the Douro on the south, and by Spain on the east and north .
• It is a region formed by a succession of plateaus and mountains, furrowed
with deep valleys, far from the sea, with a continental climate influences, more
humid and rainy in the west and drier as it moves toward the east.
• With the exception of the area of Douro, which is dedicated to the cultivation of
wines, in the region of Trás-os-Montes there is still a very diverse and undeveloped
agriculture without any predominant culture , characterized essentially by small
farms.
• Livestock production is based on the creation of cattle, sheep, goats and swine,
often with very little effective intensified and generally in low number.
• This is the region where they are currently 98% of total holdings in the race. In the
regions of Minho, Beira Litoral and Douro Litoral are the other holdings.
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30. • The great docility of the animals of
bísaro race is very much appreciated by
farmers, mainly because they have a close
relationship with these animals,
since most farms are very small.
• The Bísaro pig is explored in four
aspects. All holdings are engaged
simultaneously in raising sows, boars, piglets
and fattening pigs.
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2011
31. • The management of the Bísaro pig’s food has
always been conditioned by the resources
available from local agriculture.
• The animals are fed mainly with the farm
crops consisting of: cereals (corn, wheat, rye, barley
and oats), tubers (potatoes, beet and turnip),
vegetables (cabbage, pumpkins, etc ...) and fruits
such as chestnut in this particular case.
• Another feature of the diet used in small farms is its
variation throughout the year, because most food is
provided on a seasonal basis.
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2011
33. - The Bísaro pig is poorly arched in the lumbar region, has a weak development of
the subsequent quarter, and its skeleton is quite bulky. The proportion of meat
is higher than the fat, getting only a little portion of bacon. It is very streaky and it has
an excellent flavor, due to the variety of the food to which the animal is subjected.
- Its meat has high sensory quality which translates positively on the
acceptability and suitability of the meat for processing.
35. • The quality of the products resulting from Bísaro
pig and the need to differentiate it from
others on the market, led to the creation in
1996 of two guards Community and Protected
Geographical Status (PGS) in particular the Thick
Pork Sausage from Vinhais PGS, the Bread and
Garlic Sausage fom Vinhais PGS or the Smoked
Pork Sausage from Vinhais
PGS. (Expense 136/96 of 12/30/96)
• More recently other products follow the same
process.
Alexandrina Fernandes 05-12-
2011