Provenance Technique Library

Lisbon, Portugal Techniques

3 techniques from Lisbon, Portugal cuisine

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Lisbon, Portugal

Amêijoas à bulhão pato

Lisbon, Portugal

Clams with garlic, lemon, white wine, and cilantro — named for the 19th-century Portuguese poet Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato who was apparently devoted to the dish. The simplicity is the technique: purged clams steamed open in garlic-infused olive oil, white wine, and lemon juice, finished with a profusion of chopped fresh cilantro and served immediately with crusty bread. The dish is both a starter and a statement — Portugal's relationship to shellfish is intimate and serious, and amêijoas à bulhão pato is the preparation that expresses it most directly. The clam's natural liquor becomes the sauce. Nothing is added to thicken or enrich it.

Portuguese — Seafood →

Bacalhau à brás

Lisbon, Portugal

The most beloved of all bacalhau preparations — shredded desalted salt cod bound with scrambled eggs, fried matchstick potatoes, and onion, garnished with black olives and parsley. Bacalhau à brás was created in the 19th century in the Bairro Alto neighbourhood of Lisbon and has become the bacalhau preparation that defines everyday Portuguese cooking. The technique is essentially a scrambled egg dish with cod and potato — but the texture requires precision: the eggs must be barely set (soft and creamy, not cooked through), the potatoes must be crisp (added last, to preserve texture), and the cod must be finely shredded into individual fibres rather than flaked into chunks.

Portuguese — Bacalhau →

Ginjinha: Portuguese sour cherry liqueur

Lisbon, Portugal

The sour cherry liqueur of Lisbon — ginja (sour cherry, Prunus cerasus var. austera) macerated in aguardente (grape spirit) with sugar and a clove or two, served at room temperature in small ceramic or chocolate cups. Ginjinha has been sold from tiny hole-in-the-wall bars in Lisbon's Rossio square since 1840, and the A Ginjinha bar at 7 Rossio — not much larger than a closet — is considered the spiritual home of the drink. The technique is macerating cherries with their stones in high-proof spirit — the stones contribute bitter almond notes from the amygdalin they contain. The maceration period ranges from several weeks to months, and the liquid develops from pink to deep burgundy-red.

Portuguese — Spirits & Beverages →