The Churra is an type, breed or group of breeds of sheep. The word churra simply means 'coarse-woolled'. The Churra originates in the Duero Valley in the autonomous community of Castile and León in north-western Spain. In the province of Zamora the milk is used to make Zamorano cheese.
Churra breeds and types
There are numerous regional variants of the Churra in Spain. Two of these are recognised as separate breeds: the
Churra Lebrijana of
Andalusia, also known as the Atlantica or Marismeña, named for
Lebrija on the
Guadalquivir and found in the coastal provinces of Cadiz and Huelva in south-western Spain; and the
Churra Tensina, named for the Valle de Tena in the province of Huesca in the central Pyrenees. Others include the small Sayaguesa, associated with the
comarca of
Sayago in the south of the province of Zamora and reared mostly for meat; the Churra del Bierzo or Blanca del Bierzo, an endangered polled type from the
comarca of
El Bierzo in the province of León; and the Churra Castellana or Churra Campera of Castile.
Use
The Churra is a traditional triple-purpose breed, reared for milk, for
mutton and for its wool, which is of coarse quality suitable for carpet-making. Sheep of this type were taken by the
conquistadores to the
New World, where they gave rise to American breeds such as the Chiapas and the
Navajo-Churro.
Cross-breeding with the
Merino has given rise to the or medium-fine group of breeds in Spain, and to the
Churra Algarvia breed in Portugal. Other Portuguese Churra breeds include the
Churra Badana, the Churra Galega Bragançana Branca, the Churra Galega Bragançana Preta, the Churra Galega Mirandesa, the Churra Mondegueira, the Churra da Terra Quente, the Churra do Campo and the Churra do Minho.
