This book intends to take you in a voyage through the amazing tastes and scents of the Portuguese Cuisine. The idea behind this book is to share the roots of a cuisine that is characterized by its simplicity and flexibility in combining the ingredients. In this book, you are not going to find sophisticated recipes. On the contrary, the recipes you will find here use ingredients that are part of the Mediterranean diet (which has become Immaterial Human Heritage by UNESCO, on November 16, 2010) and that can be cooked with simple techniques.
Some of the dishes you will find in this book can be prepared in a single pot. The secret to enjoy the Portuguese cuisine is to use simple techniques (no complicated sauces or heavy creams) to preserve the distinctive flavors of the products used.
There is not a single Mediterranean cuisine. The Portuguese recipes are influenced by a combination of Mediterranean and Moorish flavors and textures. The Mediterranean cuisine is rich in variations and diversity as the countries around the Mediterranean Sea associated with such cuisine (Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal).
When one speaks about Portuguese cuisine and recipes, one most keep in mind that there is a strong relation between history and food. The history of Portugal is marked by the sea exploration in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. From the “new lands” the explorers brought potatoes, tomatoes, kidney beans, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, among other spices. These ingredients were incorporated in the traditional recipes and their different combinations bring strong flavors and scents to the Portuguese food.
Enjoy!
