Açorda is a traditional Portuguese dish composed of cubed or sliced stale bread with garlic,

coriander Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual plant, annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the ...

, and

poached eggs A poached egg is an egg that has been cooked outside the shell by poaching (or sometimes steaming). This method of preparation can yield more delicately cooked eggs than higher temperature methods such as boiling. Poached eggs can be found in s ...

. It is a type of

bread soup Bread soup is a simple soup that mainly consists of bread, usually staling, stale bread. Variations exist in many countries, and it is often eaten during Lent. Both brown bread, brown and white bread may be used. The basis for bread soup is tra ...

, although some variants have a consistency closer to that of a porridge. The version served in

Alentejo Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond the Tagus" (). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo Province, Alto Alentejo and Bai ...

, açorda à Alentejana, is a classic of the region's cuisine.

History

Source: One of the first designations of the term ''açorda'' is found in 16th-century playwright

Gil Vicente Gil Vicente (; c. 1465c. 1536), called the Trobadour, was a Portuguese playwright and poet who acted in and directed his own plays. Considered the chief dramatist of Portugal he is sometimes called the "Portuguese Plautus," often refe ...

's ''Farsa dos Almocreves'': “''Tendes uma voz tão gorda/ que parece alifante/ depois de farto de açorda''”. (Roughly: You have such a big voice/ that it sounds like an elephant/ after too much bread soup.) The dish's origins are as a poverty food, intended to prevent waste by using leftover bread, that evolved into a classic of Portuguese and particularly Alentejan cuisine.

Ingredients and variants

The dish is traditionally made with

pao Alentejano Pão Alentejano or Alentejo bread is a traditional wheat bread of Portugal's Alentejo region. History The bread was traditionally produced in homes, with local women taking their dough for baking in communal ovens, or by small bakeries. Alen ...

. Throughout Portugal there are multiple variants of garlic and cilantro bread soup; the most notable originated in

, where an açorda, also called açorda Alentejana or açorda à alentejana, has the consistency of a soup and is widely served in homes and restaurants throughout the region. According to ''Travel Magazine'', it is "arguably Alentejo's signature dish". According to ''Publico'' it is an icon of Alentejan cuisine. Açorda à Alentejana was one of the finalist candidates for the . In other regions of Portugal the bread may be boiled in the broth and the dish may have a consistency similar to that of a porridge. Other variations may include sausage, shrimp or

codfish Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly ...

; the codfish version is called ''açorda de bacalhau.'' The version with shrimp is called ''açorda de marisco'' and is particularly popular in Lisbon. A version is known in Maccanese cuisine.

Preparation

The dish is typically assembled from prepared ingredients rather than cooked, although some versions call for cooking the bread, cilantro, and garlic in the broth. In a typical preparation the eggs are poached in salted water or stock. Garlic, coriander and salt are mashed into a coarse paste with olive oil and vinegar, and the mixture is poured over the bread. The eggs are placed on the bread and the poaching liquid is poured over. The açorda is typically left to steep for a few minutes to soften the bread. Some recipes call for coating the bread in the garlic-coriander paste, then folding it into the eggs in their poaching liquid. The final dish usually has a bright green color.

History

Ingredients and variants

Preparation

References

Further reading