''Espetada'' (also known as ''espetinho'', especially in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

) is the Portuguese term used for the technique of cooking food on skewers, and for the dishes prepared that way. ''Espetada'' is a traditional dish in

Portuguese cuisine Portuguese cuisine () consists of the traditions and practices of cooking in Portugal. The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dish ...

. In Portugal, ''espetadas'' can be prepared with different types of meat, as well as squid or fish, with

monkfish Members of the genus ''Lophius'', also sometimes called monkfish, fishing-frogs, frog-fish, and sea-devils, are various species of lophiid anglerfishes found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. ''Lophius'' is known as the "monk" or "monkfish" to ...

being commonly used. The most common are beef or pork, or a mixture of the two. More recently, turkey or chicken is used. Often pieces of bell pepper, onion, and ''

chouriço ''Chorizo'' ( , ; ; see below) is a type of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula. It is made in many national and regional varieties in several countries on different continents. Some of these varieties are quite different from ...

'' are placed between the meat pieces. ''Espetada'' is usually accompanied by white rice or potatoes, and salad. In

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

, beef on

bay laurel ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. According to Flora Cretica (Kleinsteuber Books, 2024, ISBN 978-3-9818110-5-6) the stem can be 1 ...

skewers is a typical dish, with origins in the Strait of Câmara de Lobos. The meat, after being cut into cubes and before being grilled, is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and bay leaf. It is then cooked over hot coals or wood chips. '' Bolo do caco'' is usually eaten with it, or '' milho frito'', fried squares or triangles of firmly set polenta, to soak up the juices of the meat. The dish can be served on a skewer which hangs from a hook on a stand for presentation. File:Espetada.jpg, Grilling ''espetada'' at a Portuguese community day in Petersham File:Espetada,Boaventura-Sao Jorge - panoramio.jpg, ''Espetada'' before being cooked File:Zum Grill umgebautes Fass mit Espetada-Spießen.jpg, Cooking over

ember An ember, also called a hot coal, is a hot lump of smouldering solid fuel, typically glowing, composed of greatly heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material. Embers (hot coals) can exist within, remain after, or sometimes precede, a ...

s File:Espetada de vaca em Linda-a-Velha.jpg, ''Espetada'' after being cooked

References

Pork dishes Grilled skewers Madeiran cuisine Portuguese cuisine Brazilian cuisine Beef dishes {{portugal-cuisine-stub

See also

References