I am quite the foodie and am willing to try just about anything that is not too disturbing. I think food ranks as one of the highest aspects of culture in a country or community. When I think about home, I immediately think about my favorite home-cooked meals and how they make me feel so relaxed and comforted. In the U.S., people think of apple pie or the hamburger as some of our staple foods. While they may not be my favorite foods, they are widely known and recognized as an American food. Naturally, I would like to try out some Portuguese recipes in order to gain more of an understanding of the Portuguese culture. I would like to try out a main entrée recipe as well as a dessert recipe. It seems as though many cultures eat chicken, however, it is prepared differently each place. Each culture seems to also have a defining taste in terms of spices.
I looked up Portuguese dishes and came across the national dish of chicken piri-piri. The piri-piri is a small chili pepper also known as peri-peri. The chicken is covered with piri-piri and served with fries or salad or chips. The chicken itself is called frango in Portuguese and it is eaten with the hands, not a fork and knife. The dish is served from churrascarias that sell the chicken dish. The dish was created back when the Portuguese landed in Angola and Mozambique and tried their crushed pepper sauce. The Portuguese brought it back to Portugal. The large chain Nando’s sells chicken piri-piri. I am unsure of the quality of Nando’s however I would definitely try it out. As for the sauce, the piri-piri has garlic, sweet peppers, spicy chilies, lemon, and other herbs and spices. The chicken marinates for hours and can be roasted or grilled. The pictures below show both grilled and roasted frango.
When I meet with Gabi, I would like for her to share her favorite cultural experiences or aspects of culture that she is passionate about. I am sure that she has a couple of favorite dishes that pertain to her culture. I think the way dishes are created is amazing since they seem to have a story. The chicken piri-piri had to do with the history of the Portuguese Empire and its colonies. Almost every recipe has a story whether it is as small as experimenting in a kitchen or developed during an important time in history. The food can reveal about a certain time or country, like not having enough food could cause someone to make a food that is simple. I do not necessarily think food is overlooked when it comes to culture, but in some instances, I think people experience culture shock and shy away from another culture’s food, and this is a terrible shame. To truly experience a culture, one should immerse themselves among locals and do local things, shop at a grocery store, hear the language in every day terms, go to local markets, and try the foods. I think it is a shame when people are not willing to try new foods because they seem abnormal, because there is a story worth appreciating behind food.
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