More Cowbell Third-generation Cowbell Masters operate the last remaining handmade cowbell factory in the capital of cowbell country.

Story and photos by Evanne Schmarder

The hands of a Cowbell Master will forever be heard in the fields …

It’s not every day that one can own an item that’s been listed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (In Need of Urgent Safeguarding). The Portuguese cowbell is one such item. For at least 600 years, millenary fire artists (blacksmiths and coppersmiths) in the Alentejo have been producing cowbells with a singular sound and a main purpose: to help find animals scattered across pastures. Located in the village of Alcáçovas, one of the most important shepherding areas of the country, thirdgeneration Cowbell Masters Guilherme Maia and Francisco Cardoso and their four workers operate the last remaining handmade cowbell factory in Portugal’s cowbell capital, Chocolhas Pardalinho, founded in 1913. It’s a time-consuming, technically complex craft and takes several years to master all the artisanal parts to manufacture these pieces. Each cowbell is the result of highly skilled handiwork. The cowbells are made from iron, cold-hammered and folded on an anvil until cupshaped. Small pieces of copper or tin are set around the iron and it’s enveloped in a mixture of clay and straw. The piece is fired at 1300°C for about 45 minutes, removed from the kiln and rolled on the ground to evenly spread the metal … then plunged into cold water for rapid cooling. Once cool, the clay cast is broken open, the bell is polished, and the tone of the bell, using either a metal or wood clapper, is fine-tuned not only to sound pleasant but to be heard at a distance. In the past, shepherds used bells of different sizes, according to the season. The greediest cow would use the “male bell” (chocalho macho–bigger and of more bass sound) so that the shepherd would know when the animal went to eat the neighbor’s grass. Today’s cowbells aren’t just for cows. Chocolhas Pardalhino makes many shapes and sizes for horses, goats, sheep, chickens, and even dogs. They also offer a decorative line, just as musically tuned and beautiful on a wall, in the garden, or at your front door. Chocolhas Pardalhino—ChocalhosPardalinho.com— welcomes visitors for factory tours and workshops of 10-15 participants. They ship worldwide and you can purchase these fine works of history and tradition at their factory, by phone, on their website, and via Facebook.

Evanne is publisher of Relish Portugal magazine. Want to meet a Michelin-starred chef, listen in on a Portugal travel and expat guru, discover Portugal’s thriving craft beer scene? All are to be found in Relish Portugal! This English-language food and culture magazine for Portugal lovers everywhere is a gorgeous, award-winning, quarterly, online publication. Subscribe and relish the bounty of riches that is Portugal: relishportugal.com.