# Churra

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For the villages with Churra name, see [Churra, Iran](/source/Churra,_Iran), [Churra, Spain](/source/Churra,_Spain).

The **Churra** is an [Iberian](/source/Iberia) type, [breed](/source/List_of_sheep_breeds) or group of breeds of [sheep](/source/Sheep).[2][3][4]: 920 The word *churra* simply means 'coarse-woolled'. The Churra originates in the [Duero Valley](/source/Duero_Valley) in the [autonomous community](/source/Autonomous_communities_of_Spain) of [Castile and León](/source/Castile_and_Le%C3%B3n) in north-western Spain.[2]: 920 In the [province](/source/Provinces_of_Spain) of [Zamora](/source/Zamora_(province)) the milk is used to make [Zamorano cheese](/source/Zamorano_cheese).[5]: 132

## 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](/source/Churra_Lebrijana) of [Andalusia](/source/Andalusia), also known as the Atlantica or Marismeña, named for [Lebrija](/source/Lebrija) on the [Guadalquivir](/source/Guadalquivir) and found in the coastal [provinces](/source/Provinces_of_Spain) of [Cadiz](/source/Cadiz_(province)) and [Huelva](/source/Huelva_(province)) in south-western Spain;[2][3][6]: 741 and the [Churra Tensina](/source/Churra_Tensina), named for the [Valle de Tena](/source/Valle_de_Tena) in the province of [Huesca](/source/Huesca_(province)) in the central Pyrenees.[2][3][7]: 931 Others include the small Sayaguesa, associated with the *[comarca](/source/Comarca)* of [Sayago](/source/Sayago) in the south of the province of Zamora and reared mostly for meat;[2]: 906 the Churra del Bierzo or Blanca del Bierzo, an endangered [polled](/source/Polled_(livestock)) type from the *comarca* of [El Bierzo](/source/El_Bierzo) in the province of [León](/source/Le%C3%B3n_(province)); and the Churra Castellana or Churra Campera of Castile.[2]: 920

## Use

The Churra is a traditional triple-purpose breed, reared for [milk](/source/Sheep's_milk), for [meat](/source/Mutton) and for its wool, which is of coarse quality suitable for carpet-making.[2]: 920 Sheep of this type were taken by the [conquistadores](/source/Conquistadores) to the [New World](/source/New_World), where they gave rise to American breeds such as the [Chiapas](/source/Chiapas_(sheep)) and the [Navajo-Churro](/source/Navajo-Churro).[2]: 920 [Cross-breeding](/source/Cross-breeding) with the [Merino](/source/Merino) has given rise to the Spanish: *entrefino* or medium-fine group of breeds in Spain, and to the [Churra Algarvia](/source/Churra_Algarvia) breed in Portugal.[2]: 920 Other Portuguese Churra breeds include the [Churra Badana](/source/Churra_Badana), the [Churra Galega Bragançana Branca](/source/Churra_Galega_Bragan%C3%A7ana_Branca), the [Churra Galega Bragançana Preta](/source/Churra_Galega_Bragan%C3%A7ana_Preta), the [Churra Galega Mirandesa](/source/Churra_Galega_Mirandesa), the [Churra Mondegueira](/source/Churra_Mondegueira), the [Churra da Terra Quente](/source/Churra_da_Terra_Quente), the [Churra do Campo](/source/Churra_do_Campo) and the [Churra do Minho](/source/Churra_do_Minho).[8]

## References

1. [Breed data sheet: Churra / Spain (Sheep)](https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ext-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=ESP&specie=Sheep&breed=Churra&lang=en). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed March 2023.

1. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). [*Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding*](https://books.google.com/books?id=2UEJDAAAQBAJ) (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.

1. Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). *Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas* (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. ISBN 9788449109461.

1. Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources](https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf), annex to [*The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture*](https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf). Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.

1. Janet Mendel (2002). [*My Kitchen in Spain: 225 Authentic Regional Recipes*](https://archive.org/details/mykitcheninspain00mend/page/132/mode/1up). New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc. ISBN 0060195266

1. [Breed data sheet: Churra Lebrijana / Spain (Sheep)](https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ext-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=ESP&specie=Sheep&breed=Churra%20Lebrijana&lang=en). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed March 2023.

1. [Breed data sheet: Churra Tensina / Spain (Sheep)](https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ext-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=ESP&specie=Sheep&breed=Churra%20Tensina&lang=en). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed March 2023.

1. [Breed data sheet: Portugal, Sheep](https://www.fao.org/dad-is/browse-by-country-and-species/en/). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed March 2023.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Churra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churra) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churra?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.