Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters [Hardcover]

Cherie Hamilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

In the 16th century, Portuguese navigators circumvented the globe, conquering new lands to build one of history's largest empires, and at the same time carrying and introducing crops, food products and a variety of culinary cultures to all corners of the earth. This fascinating collection of 225 authentic recipes is the first cookbook to encompass the entire Portuguese-speaking world and explains how Portugal and its former colonies influenced each other's culinary traditions. Included are dishes containing Asian, South American, African, and European spices, along with varied ingredients like piripiri pepper, coconut milk, cilantro, manioc root, bananas, dried fish, seafood and meats. The author also explores the impact of Sephardic Jews on the cuisines of Cape Verde, Angola, and Brazil and the influence of the Moors, who brought to the Iberian peninsula rich desserts, which the Portuguese in turn took around the world. The recipes range from appetisers like: Pastel com o Diabo Dentro (Pastry with the Devil Inside from Cape Verde); to main courses such as Frango a Africana (Grilled Chicken African Style from Mozambique) and Cuscuz de Camarao (Shrimp Couscous from Brazil), to desserts like Pudim de Coc;co (Coconut Pudding from Timor). Menus for religious holidays and festive occasions, a glossary, a brief history of the cuisines and a bilingual index will assist the home chef in creating meals that celebrate the rich, diverse, and delicious culinary legacy of this old empire.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cherie Hamilton has authored a couple of Food & Drink titles and holds a dual degree in Cultural Anthropology and Business Administration. She has lectured on Brazilian cuisine in many venues, including the Middlebury College Portugese Language School and the Brazilian TV programme, 'Arte na Mesa (Art on the Table)'. She and her husband currently reside in Nashville, Tennessee.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781808316
• ISBN-13: 978-0781808316
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #746,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Portuguese

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide to an Unusual Cuisine, October 3, 2001

By 

Mike Ebert (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters (Hardcover)

I just found a great new cookbook. In the 16th century the Portuguese developed one of history's greatest empires. The Portuguese empire, in turn, created a diverse cuisine that was influenced by the local crops and recipes of many different nations, with a strong emphasis on seafood. Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters by Cherie Hamilton is filled with fantastic, easy-to-follow recipes that capture these amazing and unusual combinations of flavors. One evening I made fish curry from Goa (p 174), a stew of whitefish and grated coconut seasoned with cumin, coriander, ginger, onions, and green chiles. As a salad I made a delicious creamy mmixture of avocado and dates (p 59), pureed and served in the avocado shells, from the windward island of Sao Vincente. This venture was such a success with my family that I next made a fish ragout from Southern Angola (p 172), that is a marvelous blend of fish and okra. The side dish for this meal was rice with split peas cooked in coconut milk (p 144), a creamy preparation from Zambesia in central Mozambique. Urged on by the praises of my family, this past weekend I made Caranguejo em Cosquinha (stuffed crab), a dish tht has traveled from Goa to Brazil (p 206). It consists of a saute of crabmeat, green and white onions, curry, and black olives in a pastry shell. Along with this, we had a fantastic Arroz de Tomate (tomato rice), a popular way to prepare rice in Portugal (p 146), which is rice prepared with tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Each of these recipes was easy and fun to prepare, with wonderfully unusual combinations of flavors. Highly recommended!!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual Encounters - Exotically Superlative Cuisine, September 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters (Hardcover)

I did not find the recipes hard to follow at all - there are many alternative ingredients that do not take away the spirit of the dishes in question, and they are provided in the book.
Historically, I found it more than usually accurate as far as ethnic cookbooks go, and this is more of a multi-ethnic effort united mostly by history and to a lesser degree by religion and language.
Having no prejudices whatsoever before approaching it, I honestly believe this book deserves kudos for introducing the multi-ethnic cuisine of the lusophone world to us - and as a somewhat lost vegeterian in my city of adoption I'm particularly thankful to the many vegeterian dishes from Goa, Malacca, Macao, mainland Portugal and just a bit everywhere else I was able to find, prepare and serve in the family home with more lauding than my previous vegan attempts.
So thanks for the book, and whatever species you are - carnivourous, omnivourous, seafoodivourous or vegeterian, *do* try this book!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite good but where is balti?, March 3, 2004

By 

lena mendonsa - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters (Hardcover)

I think this cookery book is an excellent idea in itself. The recipes are also good, at least those I have tried. There is a great variety, starters, main dishes, snacks, sweets, almost anything. There is also great variety of ingredients. In such a good book I am surprised that something as popular as balti dishes is missing. Balti recipes, from the Portuguese "balde", meaning bucket, resulted from the 'Portuguese encounter' with India and are very popular in Great Britain (I don't know in the USA).