Extremaduran lamb

The Protected Geographical Indication covers lambs that graze in the dehesa grasslands of Cáceres and Badajoz and that are reared on mother’s milk for the first 45 days of their lives. Their mothers are Merino breed sheep or crosses with rams from the breeds Merino Precoz, Ile de France and Merinofleischschaf, with 50% of their genotypes having to be Merino. The fathers come from pure or simple hybrids of Merino, Merino Precoz, Ile de France and Merinofleischschaf stock.

The lambs feed on milk for 40 or 50 days and then graze in the dehesa, only assisted with food supplements during periods where there are no or few natural resources.

In the final stage of their lives, the lambs eat grains and straw that give the meat a characteristic and distinctive flavour, until they reach the required weight. Lambs over the age of two months and 22 days can never be slaughtered.

Besides contributing to maintaining the dehesa ecosystem, this method of traditional production gives the meat from these lambs specific characteristics in terms of tenderness, colour and juiciness, mainly due to the long period they stay with their mothers.

This lamb meat is considered one of the finest on the market. It is characterised by having an excellent texture that is very pleasant on the palate, with an excellent flavour and a moderate level of fat cover.

The meat from CORDEREX lambs has to have a pale pink colour with a moderate degree of fat. The high quality of CORDEREX is noticeable in the delicious stews made with these lambs.

The PGI Regulatory Board monitors, controls, certifies, promotes and protects the meat from lambs that scrupulously comply with all the requirements set out in its regulations.