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By Sérgio Carvalho, co-founder of Ra-Ro · View profile
About a 3-minute read
In Portugal, we show affection through food. There are flavours that cannot be explained, only tasted: and there are new creations that, the moment they reach your mouth, seem to have always existed. Smoked pork cachaço with Senra cheese is one of them. It was born recently, in Ponte de Lima, from the hands of Deolinda, yet it tastes of old memory.
What is pork cachaço with Senra cheese?
The cachaço is a prime cut of pork, from the neck, marbled with fat that makes it succulent when cured and slowly smoked. At Quinta dos Fumeiros, that meat is then married with Senra cheese, a buttery cow’s-milk cheese from the Minho. Two age-old provisions that grew side by side in the same pastures, brought together at last into a single charcuterie delicacy.
Who makes it? Deolinda and Quinta dos Fumeiros
Deolinda learned from her mother, Aurora, and before the recipes came the strength and perseverance to keep a family business going in Ponte de Lima. Over the years, she made Quinta dos Fumeiros her own and added to the family heritage something that is also a tradition: the urge to invent. Aurora took ninety years to see this delicacy born, though its flavours had been part of her memories all her life.
How is this delicacy made?
It all begins with the choice of meat and the curing, done with salt and time. Then comes the slow smoking, in the Minho smokehouse style, which seals the flavour and prolongs preservation. The Senra cheese arrives from the same lands, soft and buttery. When the two meet, the fat of the pork and the creaminess of the cheese balance each other, and the smoke bridges the two.
Why is it a rare novelty?
Because it is at once unexpected and inevitable. No tradition demanded it, and yet, at the first bite, it makes perfect sense. It is a recent creation, of small artisanal production, not found for sale just anywhere. That is why Ra-Ro classifies it as Rare in its Index.
How is it served?
Cut it into thin slices and serve at room temperature, so the fat softens and releases its aroma. It goes well on a board with slow-fermented bread, in a starter with olives, or simply with a glass of red vinho verde from the Minho. It is a snack for long conversations.
Ra-Ro brings together the smoked pork cachaço with Senra cheese from Quinta dos Fumeiros, a charcuterie novelty born in Ponte de Lima, in the heart of the Minho.
Frequently asked questions
What is cachaço with Senra cheese?
A charcuterie delicacy from Quinta dos Fumeiros, in Ponte de Lima, that unites smoked pork cachaço with Senra cheese, a buttery cow’s-milk cheese from the Minho, sharing the same pastures.
How is it served and stored?
Cut it into thin slices and serve at room temperature so the fat releases its aroma. Keep it refrigerated, well wrapped, and take it out a few minutes before serving.
Who produces this delicacy?
It is produced by Deolinda, at Quinta dos Fumeiros, in Ponte de Lima (Minho), the producer Ra-Ro works with directly.
Why is it a rare piece?
Because it is a recent creation, of small artisanal production, combining two traditions into one. In the Ra-Ro Index it is classified as Rare.
