Curraleiro-Pé Duro
(most common name)

(local/other name):
• Corral crioulo
• Crioulo nordestino
• Curraleiro (states of Goiás and Tocantins)
• Goias
• Pé duro
• Pé-duro (northeastern Brazil)
• Sertanejo
local/other name (English):
• Corral Criollo
• Hard Hoof Criollo

The Curraleiro-Pé Duro can be found in the states of Piauí, Maranhão and Goiás in northeastern Brazil.

The Curraleiro-Pé Duro started with Criollo cattle introduced to the north of Brazil by Portuguese and Spanish colonizers. Specifically, the Curraleiro-Pé Duro is thought to descend directly from the Beiroa type of Mirandesa, however detailed genetic studies on its ancestry have not yet been reported. Even so, it is reported that of five Brazilian Criollo breeds studied genetically, the Curraleiro-Pé Duro is the most inbred.

A herdbook was established in 2012 and a breed society (Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Bovinos Curraleiro Pé-Duro) is also active.

A conservation herd of about 300 animals has been at the Octavio Domingues Experimental Station near São João do Piaui in the state of Piaui since 1983. The main objective of the Conservation Nuclei has been to keep animals that fit the Curraleiro-Pé Duro breed standard and minimize inbreeding (but without selection for economic traits).

Former varieties of Curraleiro-Pé Duro included:
• Irecé (extinct)
• Igarapé (extinct)

Curraleiro-Pé Duro cattle are:
• smaller than zebu breeds
• similar in type to the Tropical Dairy Criollo (but smaller)
• adapted to relatively harsh environments (such as semiarid plains)
• tolerant of low quality grazing where feed supplements (except salt) are not given
• not bred for high levels of production

There has been a proposal to develop a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) designation for Curraleiro-Pé Duro beef and use the breed to support the local Kalunga community. (The Kalungas descend from African-Brazilians who escaped from slavery; they live in remote settlements in the state of Goiás in central Brazil.)

(Portuguese) Crioulo nordestino = Northeastern Crioulo
(Portuguese) Curraleiro = corralled
(Portuguese) Pé duro = hard hoof, hard foot
(Portuguese) Sertanejo = inland

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-16

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