TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Portuguese Sheep Types
This lamb comes from the Bordaleira breed, which has been raised in the districts of Coimbra, Guarda, and Viseu for centuries because of the quality of the milk it produces. The most famous product made with Serra da Estrela milk is Serra da Estrela cheese.
During the summer, these sheep graze on the open meadows where they feed on wild grasses and herbs, while they are usually kept inside during the winter. The meat of the Serra da Estrela is particularly tender, succulent, and juicy, and has a delicate taste and complex aroma.
This variety of lambs comes from Merina and Campanifa breeds and cross-breeds between them raised in the districts of Beja, Setúbal, and Évora. This lamb owes its unique mellow flavor to a unique diet mainly consisting of milk and only a small amount of cereals.
The meat is light pink in color and has a wonderfully juicy, tender consistency. It is characterized by its low fat content, which gives it a mild but complex flavor. This lamb is commonly prepared around Easter, and it is usually simply roasted together with potatoes.
This is fresh lamb meat taken from the Churra Galega, Bordaleira de Entre Douro, and Minho breeds of sheep grown in the district of Vila Real in Portugal. Barroso lamb has a great reputation, and it is also traditionally used as a form of payment or a gift on special occasions such as weddings, when it is used to pay the priest.
The meat is pink or light red, tender, and juicy with a well-marbled texture and a delicate flavor. It is commonly eaten during festive periods, and is most often oven-roasted.
Beira lambs are cross-bred from the Churra do Campo, Mondegueira, and Merino do Beira Baixa breeds. Beira lamb has a light pink color, a unique milky aroma, and a smooth and tender texture and consistency.
This type of lamb is often slow-roasted, seasoned only lightly with salt, garlic, and olive oil. It is also used in traditional Portuguese dishes such as Canja de borrego and Caldeirada do finger, and it plays a special role in the preparation of traditional Maranhos sausages.
This meat is taken from lambs of the rare Churra Galega Mirandesa breed of sheep. The meat is pink, tender, and extremely succulent, and its unique flavor is highly prized by gourmets and chefs. The lambs are reared on local pastures, where they feed on local fodder and graze wild in pastures and woodlands.
The meat is used in several traditional local specialities, such as Mirandês lamb stew and barbecued lamb. It is traditionally roasted for Christmas and other special occasions and gatherings.
Bragançano lamb is fresh lamb meat from the Churra Galega Bragançana breed, defined by their rich wool coat and tall, thin and hairless limbs. The animals are highly adaptable, coming from the extremely cold and harsh Terra Fria region in Portugal, giving the meat its excellent quality.
The animals feed on the local pastures, imparting a distinctive flavor and a tender, succulent texture to the meat. The lambs are extremely important in the regional cuisine and can be either roasted, grilled, or used in traditional dishes such as lamb ribs with stewed peas.
This is the meat of white Merino lambs raised in the Alentejo region. These lambs graze in the mountains and meadows, and mostly feed on wild herbs and grasses. The meat is characterized by its soft consistency and low fat content. This particular type of lamb is juicy and succulent, but its flavor is never overly intense.
Racks or cutlets of this lamb can be grilled, but the other cuts of this breed are used in the preparation of many traditional dishes, such as Ensopado de borrego, Caldeirada de borrego, and Lenha de borrego frito.
This lamb comes from Merino sheep crossbreeds raised in the municipality of Portalegre. Sheep have been raised in this region for centuries, and they are used to produce both meat and wool. They are mostly fed on crop cuttings, wild herbs, and grasses. Nordeste Alentejano lamb has a unique flavor and a succulent, juicy consistency.
It is characterized by its low fat content, which gives it a light yet complex flavor. This meat is an essential ingredient in traditional regional Portuguese dishes, but it is most often eaten simply roasted together with potatoes.
This is a Churra breed lamb raised in the districts of Vila Real, Bragança, Viseu, and Guarda. These sheep are used in the production of milk, meat, and wool. Flocks of Terra Quente consist of 150-200 sheep, and they are usually sent to pasture on meadows and in the mountains, where they graze on wild herbs and grasses.
The meat of this lamb is light pink, tender, succulent, and has a full, complex flavor with hints of the aromas of the herbs the sheep graze on. The meat has a mild and pleasant milky aftertaste, and it is very low in fat. This versatile meat can be grilled, stewed, boiled, or cooked, and it serves as a key ingredient in many traditional recipes, such as Tras-os-Montes meat stew, in which it is paired with peas and tomatoes.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.