Bacalhau à Brás facts for kids
Bacalhau à Brás is a super yummy and famous dish from Portugal! It's made with shredded salted cod fish, mixed with onions, and thin, crispy fried potatoes. Everything is then gently cooked with scrambled eggs, making it creamy and delicious. People usually decorate it with black olives and fresh parsley on top.
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What is Bacalhau à Brás?
This special Portuguese meal is a bit like a stir-fry, but with a unique twist! The main ingredient is bacalhau, which is cod fish that has been salted and dried. This was a way to preserve fish before refrigerators were common. When you cook Bacalhau à Brás, the dried cod is first soaked to remove the salt, then cooked until it's soft enough to shred.
How is it Made?
Making Bacalhau à Brás involves a few simple steps. First, onions are cooked until they are soft. Then, the shredded cod fish is added to the pan. Next, very thin, crispy fried potatoes (like matchsticks!) are mixed in. Finally, scrambled eggs are stirred into the mixture, bringing all the ingredients together into a creamy, flavorful dish. It's often served with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and a few black olives for decoration.
Where Did it Come From?
The exact story of Bacalhau à Brás isn't fully known, but it's believed to have started in Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal. Specifically, it might have come from a historic part of Lisbon called Bairro Alto in the late 1800s. The name "Brás" (sometimes spelled "Braz") is thought to be the name of the person who first created this delicious recipe. It might have been inspired by older cod dishes that used similar cooking methods.
Other "Brás" Dishes
The "à Brás" cooking style is so popular that people started using it with other foods too! For example, you can find frango à Brás, also known as Brás de frango. This dish uses chicken instead of cod fish, but it's made with the same yummy combination of onions, potatoes, and scrambled eggs. It shows how versatile and loved this cooking method is in Portugal.
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