Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo facts for kids
Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo is a super popular and tasty codfish dish from Portugal. Imagine a delicious oven-baked casserole with layers of tender codfish, creamy mashed potatoes, and savory onions. It's a special meal that many Portuguese families enjoy!
What is Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo?
This dish gets its name from a famous chef called Zé do Pipo. It's a type of "bacalhau" dish, which is the Portuguese word for dried and salted codfish. Codfish is a very important ingredient in Portuguese cooking.
What's in this yummy dish?
Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo is made by layering different ingredients. First, the codfish is gently boiled in milk to make it soft and flavorful. Then, it's placed in a baking dish.
- Codfish: The main star, prepared in milk.
- Onions: Sliced onions are often used, sometimes even pickles for a tangy twist.
- Mashed Potatoes: A creamy layer of mashed potatoes, often with a little bit of ground nutmeg for extra flavor.
- Mayonnaise: This might surprise you, as mayonnaise isn't usually a big part of traditional Portuguese cuisine. But in this dish, it's a key ingredient that makes it unique and creamy!
After layering, the dish is baked in the oven until it's golden and bubbly. It's usually decorated with black olives or colorful roasted peppers, making it look as good as it tastes!
The story of Zé do Pipo
The recipe for Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo comes from the city of Porto in Portugal. It became really famous thanks to its creator, a chef named Zé do Pipo. He owned a well-known restaurant in Porto back in the 1960s.
Zé do Pipo was so good at making this dish that he won a big national cooking contest with it! Because of his win, many other restaurants started adding Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo to their menus. This helped the dish become incredibly popular all over Portugal, and it's still loved by many people today.
