After being invaded, conquered and ruled for so many centuries, the Portuguese decided to do a bit of conquering themselves. So in the 15th Century, off they went in their ships to explore, discover and spread the gospel. To this day there is the great maritime museum in Sagres, started by Henry the Navigator who, incidentally, never explored anywhere.
After conquering Ceuta in North Africa in 1415 they went further afield, finding a sea route to the lucrative Spice Islands. By 1498 they reached India and in 1500 they discovered Brazil. By 1571 they had established a string of outposts connecting Lisbon to Africa, the Middle East, India and Asia including Nagasaki in Japan.
Now this is where it gets interesting as far as the food chain goes.
India
Goa, in Southern India, was ruled by the Portuguese and many of the locals nowadays have Portuguese surnames. Portuguese was widely spoken in Goa and only seemed to stop when the regime left in 1961, although many of the older population still speak Portuguese even today.
Did you know that the word vindaloo is thought to originate from the Portuguese words vinho (wine) and alho (garlic).This came from the Portuguese dish Carne de vinhad’alhos which was modified by the Indians who used vinegar instead of wine.
The Portuguese also introduced chillies to India in the 16th century, thereby changing not only the spiciness of the local food but giving India the chance to become the highest producer of chillies in the world today. The original chillies were from Mexico, which still has a high production of a large variety of this spicy vegetable.
Japan
Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century. Jesuit missionaries built churches and brought Christianity to the colony. Even today there are many words in Japanese that originated from Portuguese. These include:
· alcohol = arukõru = alcool in Portuguese
· Shaddock = zabon = zamboa in Portuguese
The Portuguese took their recipes for pakora from India to Japan where the Japanese lightened the batter, added prawns instead of meat and suddenly pakora became the famous tempura. It’s possible that the Portuguese word tempera meaning ‘time’ (the short frying time of pakora in India) and the Jesuit missionaries advocating no meat during lent or on Fridays, resulted in the Japanese using prawns instead of meat in their pakora and rebranding their new fish dish ‘prawn tempura’. Of course pakora is often made solely with vegetables but then tempura is too.
Brazil
Disputably, Pedro Alvares Cabral of Portugal was the first European to colonise Brazil in 1500. For the next 300 years (except for a brief period in the early 17th century when the Dutch occupied the country) Brazil remained a colony of Portugal, declaring independence in 1882. The official language is still Portuguese and close ties are still enjoyed by the two countries.
The Portuguese staple of bacalhao (dried salt cod) was introduced into the Brazilian diet and eggs and sugar were incorporated into their desserts. The desserts have taken on a more Brazilian flavour with local ingredients added.
They also brought foods from Africa such as coffee and dried fruits. The African slaves who cooked for the gentry, took these and added coconut milk and palm oil to their stocks; hence the African influence on Brazilian cooking. The Brazilians also have their own versions of typical Portuguese dishes such as feijoada (beans) and caldeirada (fish stew).
China
The Portuguese took on Macau as a trading post in 1557, which remained under Chinese rule until in 1885 a treaty was signed making it one of Portugal’s territories.This treaty lasted until 1999 when Macau reverted back to Chinese rule.
Bringing the tastes of India, the Americas and Africa with them to Macau resulted in all these flavours being fused with authentic Portuguese dishes, which were blended with traditional Macanese cuisine. A firm favourite is pasteis de nata (Portuguese egg custard tarts). Mexican chilli peppers, potatoes and corn were also introduced to the Chinese and absorbed into their food supply.
Of course I must include “piri piri” which the Portuguese discovered in Africa (where it’s also known as pili pili or periperi). The Portuguese made this fiery sauce famous around the world and piripiri chicken is a hot favourite - pardon the pun – here in Portugal.
So, the next time you order a vindaloo in an Indian restaurant or savour tempura prawns in a Japanese establishment, you’ll know they were originated by the Portuguese!
Brought to you by Meravista – the place where smart people search for Algarve property for sale.
Portugal’s influence on food around the world
by Sun’s Dragon
After being invaded, conquered and ruled for so many centuries, the Portuguese decided to do a bit of conquering themselves. So in the 15th Century, off they went in their ships to explore, discover and spread the gospel. To this day there is the great maritime museum in Sagres, started by Henry the Navigator who, incidentally, never explored anywhere.
After conquering Ceuta in North Africa in 1415 they went further afield, finding a sea route to the lucrative Spice Islands. By 1498 they reached India and in 1500 they discovered Brazil. By 1571 they had established a string of outposts connecting Lisbon to Africa, the Middle East, India and Asia including Nagasaki in Japan.
Now this is where it gets interesting as far as the food chain goes.
India
Goa, in Southern India, was ruled by the Portuguese and many of the locals nowadays have Portuguese surnames. Portuguese was widely spoken in Goa and only seemed to stop when the regime left in 1961, although many of the older population still speak Portuguese even today.
The Portuguese also introduced chillies to India in the 16th century, thereby changing not only the spiciness of the local food but giving India the chance to become the highest producer of chillies in the world today. The original chillies were from Mexico, which still has a high production of a large variety of this spicy vegetable.
Japan
Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century. Jesuit missionaries built churches and brought Christianity to the colony. Even today there are many words in Japanese that originated from Portuguese. These include:
· alcohol = arukõru = alcool in Portuguese
· Shaddock = zabon = zamboa in Portuguese
The Portuguese took their recipes for pakora from India to Japan where the Japanese lightened the batter, added prawns instead of meat and suddenly pakora became the famous tempura. It’s possible that the Portuguese word tempera meaning ‘time’ (the short frying time of pakora in India) and the Jesuit missionaries advocating no meat during lent or on Fridays, resulted in the Japanese using prawns instead of meat in their pakora and rebranding their new fish dish ‘prawn tempura’. Of course pakora is often made solely with vegetables but then tempura is too.
Brazil
Disputably, Pedro Alvares Cabral of Portugal was the first European to colonise Brazil in 1500. For the next 300 years (except for a brief period in the early 17th century when the Dutch occupied the country) Brazil remained a colony of Portugal, declaring independence in 1882. The official language is still Portuguese and close ties are still enjoyed by the two countries.
They also brought foods from Africa such as coffee and dried fruits. The African slaves who cooked for the gentry, took these and added coconut milk and palm oil to their stocks; hence the African influence on Brazilian cooking. The Brazilians also have their own versions of typical Portuguese dishes such as feijoada (beans) and caldeirada (fish stew).
China
Bringing the tastes of India, the Americas and Africa with them to Macau resulted in all these flavours being fused with authentic Portuguese dishes, which were blended with traditional Macanese cuisine. A firm favourite is pasteis de nata (Portuguese egg custard tarts). Mexican chilli peppers, potatoes and corn were also introduced to the Chinese and absorbed into their food supply.
Of course I must include “piri piri” which the Portuguese discovered in Africa (where it’s also known as pili pili or periperi). The Portuguese made this fiery sauce famous around the world and piripiri chicken is a hot favourite - pardon the pun – here in Portugal.
So, the next time you order a vindaloo in an Indian restaurant or savour tempura prawns in a Japanese establishment, you’ll know they were originated by the Portuguese!
Brought to you by Meravista – the place where smart people search for Algarve property for sale.