Churro (sheep)
Encyclopedia
The Churra is an ancient Iberian
breed of sheep from Zamora
province in Castile and León
. The ewes produce the milk for Zamorana cheese; the meat is prized also.
The Churra (renamed "churro" by American frontiersmen) was first imported to North America in the 16th century and used to feed Spanish armies and settlers. By the 17th Century, churros were popular with the Spanish settlers in the upper Rio Grande Valley. Flocks of churros were also acquired by Navajo through raids and trading, and soon became an important part of their economy and culture.
In the early 1900s, the federal government
decided that other breeds would be better for reservation life and a program of out-breeding nearly caused the churro sheep to go extinct. People concerned with quality of wool and the history and culture of the Navajo are making an effort to save the breed.
Spanish traditional wisdom advises not to mix churras and merinas
, i.e., not to confuse different concepts.
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
breed of sheep from Zamora
Zamora (province)
Zamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.The present-day province of Zamora province was one of three provinces formed from the former Kingdom of León in 1833, when Spain was re-organised into 49 provinces.It is bordered by...
province in Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
. The ewes produce the milk for Zamorana cheese; the meat is prized also.
The Churra (renamed "churro" by American frontiersmen) was first imported to North America in the 16th century and used to feed Spanish armies and settlers. By the 17th Century, churros were popular with the Spanish settlers in the upper Rio Grande Valley. Flocks of churros were also acquired by Navajo through raids and trading, and soon became an important part of their economy and culture.
In the early 1900s, the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
decided that other breeds would be better for reservation life and a program of out-breeding nearly caused the churro sheep to go extinct. People concerned with quality of wool and the history and culture of the Navajo are making an effort to save the breed.
Spanish traditional wisdom advises not to mix churras and merinas
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
, i.e., not to confuse different concepts.