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| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Galega |
| Country of origin | Portugal |
| Distribution | former province of Minho, principally Viana do Castelo |
| Use | |
| Traits | |
| Height | |
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The Minhota or Galega is a Portuguese breed of cattle. It is reared principally for beef; in the past it was used also as a draught beast and for milk.
The Minhota originated in the former Minho province of northern Portugal, from which its name derives, and particularly in the northern part thereof, now the Viana do Castelo District. [3] : 245
In the past it was variously known as the Minhota or as the Galega, or by both names. [4] It was widespread and numerous; in the middle years of the nineteenth century it numbered about 65 000 head, and constituted some 50% of all cattle in Minho. By 1940 numbers had fallen to about 9500. [5] The breed received formal recognition as the Galega in 1996; [3] : 245 a breed society, the Associação Portuguesa dos Criadores de Bovinos da Raça Minhota, was formed in that year, and a herd-book established in 1997. [6] In 2002 the name of the breed was changed to Minhota so as better to distinguish it from the Spanish Rubia Gallega breed of Galicia immediately to the north. [4]
In 2007 the conservation status of the breed was listed by the FAO as "not at risk". [1] : 92 In 2016 the population was reported to be about 13 000 head, with 120 bulls and over 7000 breeding cows. In 2021 its status was reported to DAD-IS as "at risk". [2] In 2016 it was distributed mainly in the former province of Entre-Douro-e-Minho, the modern districts of Viana do Castelo and Braga; its range extends into the districts of Porto and Vila Real, in the former provinces of Douro Litoral and Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro respectively. [7]
The Minhota is genetically close to the Ramo Grande of the Azores, and may have contributed to the development of the Arouquesa [8] : 289 and the Marinhoa of Portugal [3] : 239 and the Caracu of Brazil. [9] : 170
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The Minhota is reared principally for beef. In the past it was kept also as a draught beast and for its milk. [8] : 281 [10] : 5477
Viana do Castelo is a municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 88,725, in an area of 319.02 km². The urbanized area of the municipality, comprising the city, has a population of approximately 36,148 inhabitants, although the extended densely populated region reaches surrounding municipalities like Caminha and Ponte de Lima with a population above 150,000 inhabitants. It is located on the Portuguese Way path, an alternative path of the Camino de Santiago, and at the mouth of the Lima river.
Entre Douro e Minho is one of the historical provinces of Portugal which encompassed the country's northern Atlantic seaboard between the Douro and Minho rivers. Contemporaries often referred to the province as simply "Minho". It was one of six provinces Portugal was commonly divided into from the early modern period until 1936, although these provinces were not recognized as official units of government.
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The Caracu is a Brazilian breed of beef cattle. It is a Criollo breed, derived from European cattle brought to Brazil by the conquistadors; it has little or no zebuine influence. It was originally a triple-purpose breed, used for draught work and transport, for meat and for milk; in the twenty-first century it is reared principally for beef, but there are also dairy lines. It has contributed to the development of a number of other breeds, among them the Caldeano. It is closely similar to the Mocho Nacional, a polled breed, and it is probable that the two will be merged.
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The Pillory of Arcos de Valdevez is a 15th-century sculpted stone column with symbolic political, administrative and judicial significance, located in the civil parish of Arcos de Valdevez (Salvador), Vila Fonche e Parada, municipality of Arcos de Valdevez.
The Palmera is an endangered breed of cattle from the island of San Miguel de La Palma, in the Spanish autonomous community of the Canary Islands. The cattle are not indigenous to the island, but were brought by European settlers in the fifteenth century. The Palmera derives from the Rubia Gallega breed of Galicia. It is distributed mostly in the municipalities of Breña Alta, Breña Baja, El Paso, Garafía, Los Llanos de Aridane and Villa de Mazo, with small numbers in the municipalities of Puntagorda, Santa Cruz de La Palma and Tijarafe; a few may be found on the islands of Fuerteventura and Tenerife.
The Palace of Calheiros is a 17th-century Baroque manorhouse and tourist guesthouse located in the civil parish of Calheiros, municipality of Ponte de Lima, in the northern region of Portugal.
The Portuguese Way is the name of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes starting in Portugal. It begins at Porto or Lisbon. From Porto, along the Douro River, pilgrims travel north crossing the five main rivers—the Ave, Cávado, Neiva, Lima and Minho—before entering Spain and passing through Pontevedra on the way to Santiago de Compostela.
Porco Bísaro is a domestic pig breed that is native to Portugal, typically from the Trás-os-Montes, Alto-Douro, Minho, and Beira regions.
The Nordestino, also known as Crioulo Nordestino, Mourão, Pé Duro Nordestino or Sertanejo do Nordeste, is a breed of horses native to the Northeast Region of Brazil. The breed is near extinction due to the lack of interest in maintaining it. A stud-book was created and approved in 1987 by the Brazilian government; nevertheless in 2017 the authorization to carry out the genealogical records of the breed was revoked by the Ministry of Agriculture causing the loss of the breed's lines records. It is the first native horse breed of Brazil, and derived from the first horses brought by Portuguese settlers in the sixteenth century. Over time the horses have evolved into a small breed very well-adapted to surviving in the local semi-arid climate of the Northeast Region. Today around 500,000 horses survive in the region pulling horse carts or in cattle work.
The Vianesa is a traditional Spanish breed of cattle originating in the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain. It is named either for the municipality of Viana do Bolo in the province of Ourense in south-eastern Galicia, close to the border with northern Portugal, or for the comarca of Viana in which that municipality lies. With the Cachena, the Caldelana or Caldelá, the Frieiresa and the Limiana or Limiá, it forms part of the grouping of dark brown cattle known as the Morena Galega or Morenas del Noroeste.
Desgarrada is a popular song from northern Portugal, in which singers improvise, challenge and respond to each other, usually to the sound of a concertina. In addition to the name Desgarradas, they are also called Cantares ao Desafio, Cantigas ao Desafio or Cantigas à Desgarrada.
