Meat

Festival of Meat and "Chega de Bois" - February 5, 2007

In the Tras os Montes region there are a number of wintertime, weekend festivals called “feiras” held in various villages celebrating the treasures of this mountain region. These treasures are the chorizos, alheiras, sausages, and presuntos made in the smoky kitchens of the Trasmontanos. People come from all over to sample the salty delicacies. For someone like me, who does not eat pork, it is curious to see booth after booth of meat. Each booth looks exactly the same, adorned with the “U” shaped sausages hanging from hooks and with large chunks of presunto dangling overhead. In some cases the entire head of a pig sits upon the frame of the booth for decoration.

Even at Quinta da Mata, it’s meat season. The season started off with “the killing of the pig” which I opted not to see. Last Wednesday, 5 women arrived to spend the day at Quinta da Mata making alheiras. Loaves upon loaves of heavy, crusty, white bread were broken into pieces and then boiled in large caldrons of water and olive oil. Next paprika, parsley and chunks of chicken and pork were added to the mixture. The women sat in front of the fire throughout the afternoon pressing the combination into a long, thin (pig intestine) casing using a stick. Another woman tied the ends of the alheira with a cotton string. When the hundred or so alheira were all made, they were hung from sticks placed horizontally over the large stone fireplace where they were cured with the smoke from a fire that lasted four days and four nights.

The feiras celebrating the meat offer people the opportunity to sample a variety of flavors and buy their favorites to take home. The feira that we went to this weekend in Boticas also had artesenato goods to buy. These goods included heavy, wool sweaters, wool panchos, wooden carvings of traditional tools or toys and some pottery. Gypsies are attracted to these festivals as it offers them the opportunity to sell their cheap plastic toys, balloons or cell phone chargers. They play their accordions and hustle people for money offering plastic bracelets or bandaids in exchange.

A few other independent vendors line the street in front of the feira tempting the visitors with “churros” (a long stick of fried dough, coated in cinnamon and powdered sugar) and candy colored popcorn. The most interesting of the goods being offered was the wine being sold out of an old, beaten up, pick up truck. In the truck bed were a few large “garafas” of wine. On older man and his wife were selling cups of wine at .50 euros a cup. Instead of offering plastic cups, they were set up with a small table sitting in the bed of the truck, with a tablecloth and a few mugs. Beside the table were two small wash bins – one with soapy water, the other with clear rinse water for washing the cups between customers. Duarte bought a mug of the wine. It tasted young. It hadn’t been aged at all. Perhaps it was made from this couples own small vineyard not long ago.

Dancers and singers from the different regions of Portugal entertained us with their colorful clothing, happy songs and their traditional dances. The dancers moved to the beat of the drums, the tap of two sticks and the cadence of the old, folkloric music sung by the cheerful chorus. It was impossible to stand still with so much rhythm and energy.

The feiras typically have a “chega de bois” scheduled as part of entertainment. This is what I enjoy the most. The “chega de bois” is a bullfight involving two bulls going head to head, horn to horn to determine the more dominant of the two. This is much more humane and entertaining than watching a matador kill a bull as they do in the Spanish bullfights.

The bullfights are pretty informal. There isn’t an arena of any kind. Seldom are there even walls surrounding the field where the bulls will fight. The people gather around the bulls creating the ring. If a bull decides to head in another direction, there is no protection for the spectators. Marcos gets very nervous about the bulls and crouches down behind our legs fearful to even look in their direction. We are careful about our viewing spot and are sure to cover any article of red clothing.

When the bulls arrive in their individual trucks, their power can be sensed as the trucks rock back and forth and side to side with the weight of these great animals. Their snorts and stomps and tremendous size are hidden under the canopy of the truck bed. My senses are hyperaware of the strength modestly contained within the metal gates of their containers.

One bull enters the field first. Arrogantly he parades himself for all to see. He snorts and digs a hole with his front leg; his head down low. The second bull is led from the truck. This bull has a stylish gait which is almost comical as it swaggers proudly onto the fighting turf. Encouraged by their managers holding long sticks, the bulls commence their battle for dominance. Heads down low with long sharp horns, the bulls knock heads and stay locked for long periods of time. The muscles in their large, brown bodies are flexing with the force of their fight. Once in a while, they will unlock and take a step back – gathering up energy for another head blow. The struggle lasts for as little at 10 minutes or for as long as 40 minutes in the fights we have seen. One will finally give up, turn and run. This is when the spectators need to be mindful of the shamed bull and quickly get out of its path. The dominant bull chases the retreating bull ready to head butt the other in the rear end.

The bulls are quickly harnessed with a simple rope looped around their horns by their managers, the loser is led back into the truck. The winner is led to the hole that was dug by the other bull. He stands victoriously on top of the hole pompously bellowing a loud cheer of victory for the other to hear. This braggart reminds me of the pro wrestlers I have seen on American television – yelling out their taunts to the crowd. There is too much testosterone in both cases.

After being outside in the cold mountain air for long periods of time on feira days, we return to our home tired and hungry; ready for a simple, meatless dinner, a warm bath and a long night of sleep.