It is impossible to wander through a market, a tavern or a family meal in Portugal without coming across the famous chouriço.
This smoked paprika sausage is one of the most emblematic products of Portuguese gastronomy. Served in slices as an appetiser, included in many traditional dishes or flambéed in front of guests, chouriço perfectly embodies Portuguese conviviality.
The different varieties of chouriço
In Portugal, the word chouriço refers to a large family of dried or smoked sausages. Among the most popular are:
- Chouriço de carne: the most common, made from pork, garlic, paprika and wine.
- Chouriço mouro: dark, made with pork blood, more rustic and powerful.
- Chouriço de cebola: enriched with onion, slightly sweet.
- Chouriço de pernil: made with pork ham (a finer cut), usually drier and more delicate.
- Farinheira: made with wheat flour, lard and spices, with a unique and surprising taste.
- Alheira: a sausage made with poultry and breadcrumbs, created in the Middle Ages by Portuguese Jews to conceal their faith during the Inquisition.
Each region of Portugal has its own variations, with different proportions of spices and paprika, making tasting endlessly diverse.
The traditional recipe for chouriço
Chouriço is generally made with:
- Chopped pork meat and fat
- Crushed garlic
- Paprika (sweet or hot)
- Red or white wine
- Salt and pepper
The meat is left to marinate for several days, then stuffed into natural casings. After air drying, it is slowly smoked over oak or olive wood, which gives it its characteristic flavour.
How to enjoy it?
Chouriço can be enjoyed in many ways:
- Thinly sliced as an appetiser, with a glass of red wine.
- Included in traditional dishes such as Feijoada, Cozido à Portuguesa or Arroz de Pato.
- Grilled: on the barbecue, in the oven or in the most spectacular way…
Flambéed chouriço: the “Assador de chouriço” tradition
In Portugal, there is a very special utensil: the clay chouriço grill (assador de chouriço). It is a small hollow dish, often decorated, into which Portuguese aguardente (brandy) is poured.
The chouriço is scored, placed on the grill and lit: the blue flame crisps the sausage, releasing its aromas and offering a convivial, impressive spectacle.
This is a typically Portuguese experience, much appreciated as an aperitif or tapas, transforming a simple sausage into a unique moment of sharing.
As a symbol of popular and festive cuisine, Portuguese chouriço is much more than a sausage: it is part of Portugal’s identity. Whether eaten raw, simmered, grilled or flambéed in a clay assador, it always highlights the richness of Portuguese flavours.
Discover in our shop our selection of artisanal chouriços and authentic clay chouriço grills, so you can recreate this unique Portuguese tradition at home.