Carne de vinha d'alhos facts for kids
Carne de vinha d'alhos (which means "Meat in garlic marinade") is a yummy Portuguese dish. It's a type of meat that's been soaked in a special mix, also known as an adobo. This dish comes from the beautiful Madeira and the Azores islands.
It's usually made with ingredients like cloves, thyme, paprika, a bit of spicy red pepper paste, and lots of garlic. It's all soaked in wine or vinegar. In Madeira, people traditionally enjoy this dish during Christmas time.
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A Journey Across the World
This special dish, called Vinha d'alhos, traveled far from its home islands. People from Madeira and the Azores took it with them when they moved to the Americas. There, it became known by different names like "pickled pork" or "vinyoo dalyge".
New Names in New Places
In places like Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, where it arrived in the early 1800s, it's known as "garlic pork" or even "calvinadage". It shows how food can travel and get new names!
The Indian Connection: Vindaloo
Did you know that a famous Indian curry dish, vindaloo, actually came from carne de vinha d'alhos?
How Vindaloo Was Born
In the early 1500s, the Portuguese brought their "meat in garlic marinade" to Goa, which was a Portuguese colony in Portuguese India. In Goa, the dish was called vindalho, which sounds very similar to its Portuguese name. Just like the original, it's usually made with pork.
Over time, the people in Goa changed the recipe to fit their own tastes. They started using different kinds of meat and added many amazing Indian spices. Instead of wine, they used malt vinegar or coconut palm vinegar. They also added lots of chili peppers, which the Portuguese traders had also brought to India in the 1500s!
Spices and a Potato Mix-up
Goan cooks love to use spices like tamarind, cinnamon, black pepper, and cardamom. They also add a type of sugar called jaggery, which is similar to panela.
Interestingly, the traditional Goan vindaloo doesn't have potatoes. But in India, the Portuguese word alhos (meaning garlic) sounded like "aloo," which is the Hindi word for potato. Because of this mix-up, many Indian versions of vindaloo now include potatoes!
