Sayaguesa
(most common name)
(transboundary/brand name)

(local/other name):
• Castellana variedad Sayaguesa
• Raza Sayaguesa
• Moles de Sayago
• Zamorana

The Sayaguesa originated in Zamorana province in the county of Tierra Sayoga, in the west of Castilla y Léon on the Portuguese border. Microsatellite studies (Cañon et al., 2001) confirm no introgression from Portuguese breeds most probably due to the Douro River acting as a barrier.

Sayaguesa females are brownish-black; bulls are black with a light eel-stripe; both have a light muzzleband. Sayaguesa calves are red and the adults have a tendency to bleach on the underside.

• 1942 - Sayaguesa first formally identified
• 1950s - crosses made to improve beef conformation (principally with Morucha and Asturian Valley)
• 1981 - Sayaguesa numbers noticeably reduced
• 1982 - Sayaguesa breed society formed (to stave off competition with specialized beef breeds)

A specialist market in Sayaguesa white veal is traded under the Spanish quality label Ternera de Aliste.

As of 2016, pedigree analysis of current generations indicated that only ten ancestors provided 50% of Sayaguesa genes. Also, a rapid rate of increase of inbreeding was present and undesirable.

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-20

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