Portuguese culture

[sagan1976]

Good food is very important. As my dad used to tell me, there are so few genuine pleasures in life - eating good food is definitely one of them.

A friend of mine usually says, after a good meal, "it's one of the few things you take from this world into the next one".

[MightyEagle]

Good food is very important. As my dad used to tell me, there are so few genuine pleasures in life - eating good food is definitely one of them.

A friend of mine usually says, after a good meal, "it's one of the few things you take from this world into the next one".

"I hate reality but it's still the best place to get a good steak" - Woody Allen.

[sagan1976]

I remember a few years back we had a dutch technician here with us, we took him out to lunch a couple of times. This one time we took him to a place that serves fish, all the fish you can eat. The guy was amazed and delighted. A few years ago i realized why. Dutch food is more of a concept than a reality.

[sagan1976]

I don't know if these dishes have been mentioned here but two things you must try: açorda and migas. I know this is a matter of some debate since in some places in Portugal açorda and migas are one and the same, like Lisboa, but from what i'm used to because of my granny from Alentejo it's like this. Açorda (it reads "assorda") is made with sliced old bread, laid on a soup dish, on which you pour stock made from water, olive oil, vinegar, fresh diced coriander, some put garlic in it as well. This is the basics, or açorda 101. My granny used to add some fish, usually some boiled white fish like pescada and a poached egg. Amazing.
Now migas can be made with old bread but it can also be made out of mashed baked potatoes. Some fat is used to make both more maleable like my granny used to do with her migas de batata. She used some fat from frying the pork ribs to mash the potatoes (along with some paprika) and add them some flavour. The bread is mashed and turned into a pulp and then given a slight stir fry where they shape it a little. The bread is also seasoned, garlic never fails, some salt and pepper. It's simply amazing.

[sagan1976]

The reason i said that in some places açorda and migas are one and the same is beacuse in most restaurants across the country, if you order "açorda de marisco" or seafood açorda, what you get is really migas. Without the stir fry. Instead of sliced bread and stock you are served a mushy dish of bread and shrimp, cockles or whatever, all in one. And bread mashed like that is migas to me.

[Faliro]

Sounds amazing. When I go to Portugal I will dig up this thread. Do they do Açorda in normal restaurants?

I miss the food in Brazil, especially the Chapa Mista, but at the same time I realise eating that dish with beer, I was slowly killing myself. I mean every human only has a certain amount of Chapa Mistas they can eat before having a heart attack.

[sagan1976]

Sounds amazing. When I go to Portugal I will dig up this thread. Do they do Açorda in normal restaurants?

I miss the food in Brazil, especially the Chapa Mista, but at the same time I realise eating that dish with beer, I was slowly killing myself. I mean every human only has a certain amount of Chapa Mistas they can eat before having a heart attack.

The best place to have any of these is in Alentejo, since it is a common dish there. Like, for instance, i get kinda pissed with all the adoration of the so called "mediterranian diet". Most of the mediterranean diet is food based on our ability to make do with what we have. And sometimes we had little to nothing. Now it's a staple for fine dining or whatever.

[sagan1976]

And also the variation range over similar dishes across 4 neighbouring contries (well, sort of neighbours...) like us, Spain, Italy and Greece is proof that there is no such thing as a Mediterranean diet. It's just another name for marketing purposes. Most of the ingredients yes, are common, such as olive oil, tomatoes, red wine, garlic. But the whole range of different things we did with all these common ingredients is much more than a diet. It's culture. Human culture.

[Faliro]

Very true.

[crowseye]

I don't know if these dishes have been mentioned here but two things you must try: açorda and migas. I know this is a matter of some debate since in some places in Portugal açorda and migas are one and the same, like Lisboa, but from what i'm used to because of my granny from Alentejo it's like this. Açorda (it reads "assorda") is made with sliced old bread, laid on a soup dish, on which you pour stock made from water, olive oil, vinegar, fresh diced coriander, some put garlic in it as well. This is the basics, or açorda 101. My granny used to add some fish, usually some boiled white fish like pescada and a poached egg. Amazing.
Now migas can be made with old bread but it can also be made out of mashed baked potatoes. Some fat is used to make both more maleable like my granny used to do with her migas de batata. She used some fat from frying the pork ribs to mash the potatoes (along with some paprika) and add them some flavour. The bread is mashed and turned into a pulp and then given a slight stir fry where they shape it a little. The bread is also seasoned, garlic never fails, some salt and pepper. It's simply amazing.

Didn't knew you can cook Sagan   , recently, a friend of mine thought how to cook those dishes.

I think you need broa de milho (a traditional bread made of corn) to make migas.

[crowseye]

Join us here.

[sagan1976]

I don't know if these dishes have been mentioned here but two things you must try: açorda and migas. I know this is a matter of some debate since in some places in Portugal açorda and migas are one and the same, like Lisboa, but from what i'm used to because of my granny from Alentejo it's like this. Açorda (it reads "assorda") is made with sliced old bread, laid on a soup dish, on which you pour stock made from water, olive oil, vinegar, fresh diced coriander, some put garlic in it as well. This is the basics, or açorda 101. My granny used to add some fish, usually some boiled white fish like pescada and a poached egg. Amazing.
Now migas can be made with old bread but it can also be made out of mashed baked potatoes. Some fat is used to make both more maleable like my granny used to do with her migas de batata. She used some fat from frying the pork ribs to mash the potatoes (along with some paprika) and add them some flavour. The bread is mashed and turned into a pulp and then given a slight stir fry where they shape it a little. The bread is also seasoned, garlic never fails, some salt and pepper. It's simply amazing.

Didn't knew you can cook Sagan   , recently, a friend of mine thought how to cook those dishes.

I think you need broa de milho (a traditional bread made of corn) to make migas.

There's a dish of migas made out of corn bread where you add grelos (i think you can call them cabbage sprouts) which makes for a great starter.

[sagan1976]

And about cooking... yeah, i roll with it. But my major is eating and drinking.

[Faliro]

So this Ricardo refuge was old lover and his new one (fairly new) is the Moroccan guy?

It´s probably a three way.

The dream team is back!

[Cloughie]

Faliro, in "Espaço Pink" we're talking about Ronaldo's clear homossexuality all the time.

One of our friends even created the álbum "Ronaldo is with Regufe when...".