There is a wide variety of sausages produced in Portugal, and albeit being produced all over the country, they are predominantly manufactured in the North and in the Southern region of the. In 2001, an inventory accomplished by the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture was published listing and characterizing main traditional products from Portugal, including meat products.
This publication was part of a broader European inventory in terms of traditional products -Euroterroirs –Groupement Euro-peen d'Interet Economique, although limiting the national quota to 350 products, thus excluding many others, as is stated in the publication.Table 1 summarizes the major types of traditional/ethnic sausages, bagged hams, and other traditional meat products from Portugal that were included in the previously mentioned publication and also in the shopping guide for traditional products published in 2011 by Qualifica , a national association of producers for the valorization and classification of traditional products. For each type of product, the most popular or classified kinds which differ according to the producing region or geographical area, are also indicated. Out of the 26 types indicated and 91 kinds, 38 products are certified: 36 with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and two with Protected Designation of Origin status.