Alheira de Mirandela

Portugal forced its Jewish population to convert in 1497, and the Inquisition thereafter watched for the practices that betrayed continued observance - one of which was not making or hanging pork sausages, since every Christian household did. The alheira is the recorded solution: a sausage made without pork, using chicken, game or other poultry with bread, olive oil, garlic and paprika, stuffed into casings and smoked in the chimney like everyone else's, so the house looked ordinary from outside. Whether the origin story is precisely as traditionally told is debated by historians, but the association is old and well documented. It is now made across Trás-os-Montes, most famously at Mirandela which holds a protected indication, and modern versions often do contain pork. It is grilled or fried and served with a fried egg and chips, and it is one of the country's favourite everyday dishes.

What's there

• The composition - bread, poultry or game, oil, garlic and paprika rather than pork.
• The origin - a sausage made to look ordinary hanging in a Christian chimney after 1497.
• The Mirandela indication - protected status for the town's version.
• The plate - grilled or fried, with a fried egg and chips.

When to go

Year-round; traditional smoking happens in winter. A meal. Mirandela and the Trás-os-Montes towns are where it is best.

Good to know

Most modern alheiras contain pork, so the historical version and the one on the menu are usually not the same - ask if it matters to you. It is heavy, fatty and normally deep fried. The origin story is traditional and simplified. Contains bread, so not gluten-free.

Nearby

Mirandela is on the Tua; Bragança and Montesinho are north-east.