secretly portuguese

May 10, 2023 9:31 AM

Why Portuguese Food is Hiding Everywhere "Cultures and cuisines inspire each other all around the world, especially in the last few decades. But Portugal seems to be a special case. It's a not a cuisine that's in the spotlight a lot, yet a lot of very different countries around the world have a dish that has some sort of Portuguese influence. Today, I skim through some of the biggest examples of Portuguese food hiding in other cuisines and briefly look into the different historical reasons to how it happened."
posted by dhruva (34 comments total)

I'm the kind of bad person who prefers po tat to dan tat. Creamy, custardy guilt.
posted by praemunire at 9:38 AM on May 10, 2023

An interesting thing about Portuguese food is looking at who emigrated from Portugal and where they were from. The cuisine brought over from the Azores that I eat in Toronto is very different from what you find in restaurants in Lisbon or Porto. The food I had in Portugal was fantastic but I didn't see a single roast chicken with Parisienne potatoes covered in piri piri sauce.
posted by thecjm at 9:41 AM on May 10, 2023 [6 favorites]

I've loved Portuguese food ever since I lived in East Cambridge, MA and Atasca was the place I'd go out for a special dinner.

This video does a great job highlighting the bidirectional exchange of Portuguese food; European imports to the rest of the world but also a Portuguese cuisine that's been heavily influenced by its global trade. I love going in to an American Portuguese restaurant and being treated to a menu that may mostly be pretty similar to Spanish but then with obvious imports like piri piri chicken, feijoada, gambas moçambique... Not to mention the cuisine of the Açores which is mostly European in origin but quite different from mainland food. Only thing I've never seen is Macanese cuisine and I bet you can find that somewhere in the US.

It's remarkable to me how quickly food fashions spread around the world historically, particularly after the Columbian exchange. You can't imagine a lot of world cuisines without chile peppers but of course that's a post-1500 import. IIRC I read once that it took about 50 years, or two generations, for new foods like chiles or tomatoes or potatoes to be fully integrated into a local cuisine.
posted by Nelson at 9:48 AM on May 10, 2023 [4 favorites]

I was told by the owner of a Japanese restaurant that Tonkatsu, a fried pork cutlet, was introduced in Japan by Portuguese missionaries a long time ago, 1700’s I think, but don’t quote me.
posted by njohnson23 at 10:21 AM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

I think tonkatsu was a Meiji era (late 1800s) food supposedly inspired from French cuisine? "côtelette" from where English "cutlet" comes from? citations: 1 2

thanks for the post dhruva, history of yoshoku is so fascinating to me
posted by okonomichiyaki at 10:35 AM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

Putting that in the watch queue, thanks.

I knew very little about Portuguese food until I lived in Jersey City and one of Mr Epigrams' coworkers turned him on to the Portuguese restaurants in the Ironbound. This was in the early 00s so probably it's all been gentrified and upscaled, but gosh in those days the food was cheap and fantastic. I remember it with fondness.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 10:36 AM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

An interesting thing about Portuguese food is looking at who emigrated from Portugal and where they were from. The cuisine brought over from the Azores that I eat in Toronto is very different from what you find in restaurants in Lisbon or Porto. The food I had in Portugal was fantastic but I didn't see a single roast chicken with Parisienne potatoes covered in piri piri sauce.

Yeah after living in Toronto my whole life i was disappointed by the Portuguese food when I moved to Massachusetts. What's all this fish? Where's the awesome chicken?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:37 AM on May 10, 2023

Looks like Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) was first introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the 1500s. Tempura too! Though it didn't get widespread in Japan until they opened further in the 1800s.

My favorite Portuguese import is King Hawaiian's sweet bread, which is based on Portuguese sweet breads brought to Hawaii.
posted by eye of newt at 10:39 AM on May 10, 2023 [3 favorites]

The Portuguese diaspora in Montreal make an amazing variant on poutine - fries with Portuguese roast chicken, chorizo, Sao Jorge cheese, and Portuguese gravy. I like it even better than a Francesinha sandwich for soaking up last night's alcohol.
posted by thecjm at 10:49 AM on May 10, 2023 [3 favorites]

after living in Toronto my whole life i was disappointed by the Portuguese food when I moved to Massachusetts. What's all this fish? Where's the awesome chicken?

It was Anthony Bourdain who woke me up to the fact that all of the "Portuguese" people who were settling in New England were actually from the Azores; in fact, his episode about the Azores starts in Fall River, Massachusetts.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:51 AM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

It was Anthony Bourdain who woke me up to the fact that all of the "Portuguese" people who were settling in New England were actually from the Azores; in fact, his episode about the Azores starts in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Which is odd because the Torontonian portoguese I've known are also from the Azores and it makes sense that people from fishing islands would eat lots of fish. But in Toronto the portuguese are very much known for their chicken. "Portuguese chicken" / churrasqueira is a huge thing.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:58 AM on May 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

But in Toronto the portuguese are very much known for their chicken. "Portuguese chicken" / churrasqueira is a huge thing.

Toronto is on a great lake but that's very different from being on an ocean - fish wasn't available like it is in the Azoeres or in New England. Add to that the fact the Portuguese sailors have been fishing in the Grand Banks for centuries means that being in New England actually puts them closes to the cod fisheries.
posted by thecjm at 11:03 AM on May 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

Aside from introducing the world to deep-frying and eggy desserts, it is interesting that the Portuguese brought a lot back in terms of food and tradition and then helped spread it within Europe. The obvious example is introducing the British to the custom of drinking tea. Or the fact that sweet oranges in many countries are known as "Portugals."

An Indonesian friend was fascinated by Portuguese Sericaia (Egg Pudding) and how it had spread around the world. I think she had a good blog post somewhere but I need to dig it up.
posted by vacapinta at 11:08 AM on May 10, 2023

his episode about the Azores starts in Fall River, Massachusetts

What's the longest bridge in the world?

The Braga Bridge because it connects the US and Portugal.

I'm from Rhode Island, I'm half Portuguese, thank you for this post!
posted by an octopus IRL at 11:08 AM on May 10, 2023 [8 favorites]

I saw that video and was very fascinated by the history.
Back when I was in Portugal, I grew tired of the food after a week, and I haven't been back since. I mean, the main attractions are amazing, but there is a limit to how much grilled fish and shellfish and grilled chicken I can eat. (Yes, I know, I'm weird, but I need my vegetables, and I didn't meet a good vegetable serving for three weeks there). The pastéis de nata are gorgeous, but it's a bit like with the amazing seafood. I can't live on protein and sugar alone. This is the main reason I have never been to the Azores, though I am really fascinated by the islands.
So when I began to hear Americans wax lyrically about the amazing Portuguese food they had eaten, I was confused. After seeing the Bourdain episode, I began to think I missed out on the Azores, but also that perhaps when I was there in the 80s, when it was much poorer than today, the food served to tourists was over the top luxury food. I experienced something similar in The Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia), but there I was able to find some more local cantine-type places, something that evaded me in Portugal. The best meal I had was on the train (but that was very good, something with peas and inestines).
Now we have a new Portuguese snackbar on our street and I feel lucky.
posted by mumimor at 11:36 AM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

I’ve heard from two unrelated people here in Mass (both living near Fall River, actually), that the sole edible thing on Olive Garden’s menu - the so-called Zupa Tuscana - has nothing to do with Tuscany or Italian food in general but is in fact a rebranded traditional Portugese kale soup recipe. I have no idea whether this is actually true but maybe someone here does.
posted by Ryvar at 12:39 PM on May 10, 2023

Mumimor sed: I need my vegetables, and I didn't meet a good vegetable serving for three weeks there.
Caldo verde will FTFY: kale (and potato, onion and a smidge of sausage) soup. I ate it every day in Portugal and the Azores and twice on Sundays: mmmm so good.
posted by BobTheScientist at 1:08 PM on May 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

I can't watch the video yet, but... vindaloo!
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 1:11 PM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

on the continent the Azores are touted for their beef and dairy products, not the fish. all of Portugal is the coast, no need to go (literally) halfway around the world for fish. but they do raise good meat there (though there's also good beef on the continent, barrosã for example).
posted by chavenet at 2:38 PM on May 10, 2023

is a limit to how much grilled fish and shellfish and grilled chicken I can eat.

You didn't try the suckling pig?
posted by biffa at 2:39 PM on May 10, 2023

Apparently we can also blame Portuguese fishermen living in Rhode Island for Manhattan clam chowder?
posted by delicious-luncheon at 2:46 PM on May 10, 2023

Since no one has talked about bacalhau yet, I'll put my plug in for bacalhau à brás as the dish I had in Lisbon and unexpectedly loved. (Bacalhau and some potatoes covers a lot of Portuguese cooking but that the iteration I liked the most)
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 2:56 PM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

Another distinctively Portuguese food skipped over in the discussion of Japan is konpeito, which really should have merited a mention both because of its clear etymology and its specific role in the history of foreign trading in Japan.
posted by fifthrider at 3:05 PM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

Beautiful eggy custard tarts sold on street carts in Bangkok's Chinatown, vendor told me brought by the Portuguese traders over 400 years ago.
posted by goinWhereTheClimateSuitsMyClothes at 3:36 PM on May 10, 2023

Bacalhau -- salted cod prepared with a spicy sauce, often based on tomatoes -- is now a popular dish in Norway.
posted by JonJacky at 3:57 PM on May 10, 2023

knew very little about Portuguese food until I lived in Jersey City

FWIW, the restaurants in Jersey City have changed the way I think about sichuan food, resulting in me just having to cook my own dan dan noodles because nowhere in Albany gets them right.
posted by mikelieman at 4:11 PM on May 10, 2023

Can confirm that Macanese food is great. If you're wanting to try some in Chicago you could have gone to Fat Rice, but they seem to have closed and now run a place called Noodle Bird, which seems to be a bit more pan-Asian.
posted by awfurby at 4:51 PM on May 10, 2023

For a small/new channel, the production values on all their videos is pretty high. Presumably this is a second channel or a new channel for the team in the credits striking out on their own from a previous channel.

(One minor gripe, though: it overuses that "Youtube vlogger" music subgenre and the cool for 2018 tired for 2023 mini-montage trend between every microsegment that I've grown quite tired of.)
posted by tclark at 4:56 PM on May 10, 2023

Portuguese kale soup is pretty much the only way to get me to eat kale.

I once went to a meeting near Asbury Park and there was a Portuguese restaurant nearby and I loved it so much I ate every meal for the whole meeting there. And when I visited Rhode Island and ate at a Portuguese restaurant, the stew I ordered was so good I wanted to burst into tears. Sigh. You're making me google whether there's a restaurant near me.
posted by acrasis at 6:11 PM on May 10, 2023

Or the fact that sweet oranges in many countries are known as "Portugals."

I knew that the Turkish word for orange is Portakal but I never made the connection. TIL
posted by the duck by the oboe at 6:55 PM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

I waited in vain for a discussion of specifically Basque elements of this hidden Portuguese cuisine, but perhaps that will come in a later video.

I have reason to believe such elements must exist because I happened to go to the opening of a restaurant devoted to Basque cuisine as a guest of the restaurant's primary financial backer, who was a notable patron of almost all the arts in my city, and one of my at the time partner's best friends.

I didn’t want to mainly because I owned no clothing formal enough for such a somewhat gala event, and I thought the chef/owner might feel insulted by my presence. But my partner said "you’re going!" and handed me a selection of clothes from my closet.

I felt like my worst fears were being realized when the rather pugnacious and very Basque-looking chef came to our table after things had settled down a bit in the kitchen, but my partner looked spectacular, and once he was in range of her magnetic field, his attention swung in that direction and stayed there, vibrating. I allowed myself to entertain the notion that a déclassé boyfriend could even be a feature instead of a bug from his point of view.

He stood next to our table and talked for more than twenty minutes, addressing the uniqueness of Basque cuisine and what he hoped to achieve with his restaurant in a context of the Basque diaspora, which I would ordinarily have been fascinated to hear, but I was still too anxious to take it in. I can’t even remember what we ate. I’ll have to ask her if she remembers next time we talk.
posted by jamjam at 12:13 PM on May 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

sweet oranges in many countries are known as "Portugals."

There's probably a whole FPP in the linguistics of oranges. Like how in many languages, oranges are literally "Chinese apples" (e.g. Scandinavian "apelsiner", Dutch "sinaasappels", Finnish "appelsiinit", and Russian "апельсины"), but how even in those languages, the color of orange is often taken from the same Indic base as the English "orange" (Scandinavian "orange", Dutch "orangè", Finnish "oranssi", and Russian "оранжевый"). Icelandic is a bit of a freak in describing a reddish yellow color with reference to Chinese apples ("appelsínugul").

And apropos of the Dutch, almost all* of the geographic, political, and noble names including the word "Orange" are etymologically unrelated to the fruit or the color; they all derive in some manner from the region of the same name in the south of France, known as Orenga long before the fruit had a name in Europe. That didn't stop orange from becoming a national and particularly a monarchical color in the Netherlands, though.

*In the Old World, at least. European locales, and those in former Dutch colonies with the word "orange" in their name are almost all connected somehow to the House of Orange. Outside of the northeast US and Caribbean, though, American locations with the word "Orange" in their name are mostly about the fruit.
posted by jackbishop at 6:02 AM on May 12, 2023 [3 favorites]

And apropos of the Dutch, almost all* of the geographic, political, and noble names including the word "Orange" are etymologically unrelated to the fruit or the color;

Really? I had always wondered why The Fall anthem to the Dutch was Kurious Oranj. The more you know.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:49 AM on May 12, 2023

My favorite Portuguese import is King Hawaiian's sweet bread, which is based on Portuguese sweet breads brought to Hawaii.

Mine, now that I live on the Big Island, is malasadas. Amazing! And yet somehow in 60 years I’d never heard of them before.
posted by billsaysthis at 6:16 PM on May 14, 2023