Porco Preto

The porco alentejano is the Portuguese population of the black Iberian pig, the same breed group as the Spanish ibérico, kept in the montado - the managed oak savanna that covers much of the Alentejo. From about October to February the pigs are turned out for the montanheira, the acorn season, and fatten on the acorns of cork and holm oak; the fat that results is soft, oleic and marbles into the muscle, which is what changes both the fresh meat and the cured products. The fresh cuts, secretos, plumas, presa, are dark and rich and are grilled simply. The cured ham, Presunto de Barrancos, has protected designation status from a border town where the practice is closest to the Spanish tradition. The system only works because the montado exists, so the pigs are tied to a landscape that the cork industry also depends on.

What you actually see

• The montanheira - pigs turned out under the oaks from about October to February.
• The cuts - secretos, plumas and presa, dark and marbled, grilled plainly.
• Presunto de Barrancos - the protected cured ham from the border town.
• The montado link - a pig system that depends on the cork oak landscape.

When to go

Year-round for the meat; the montanheira, when pigs are visibly under the oaks, runs from about October to February. Estate visits need arranging.

Honest expectations

The estates are private working farms - visits must be booked, not improvised. Acorn-fed meat and ham are expensive, and cheaper "black pork" on menus is often not acorn-fed. Very rich and fatty by design. Cured ham cannot be taken into some countries.

Nearby

Barrancos is on the Spanish border; the montado runs across the whole Alentejo.