Food! What Did The Portuguese Ever Do For Us?

It might be thought that in history as recent as the 20th century, it would be matter of simple record to attribute inventions to the appropriate people. Yet, a little time as a tour guide, boasting of all things Scottish, throws up any number of anomalies. The telephone, for example. Not much doubt about the inventor,  Alexander Graham Bell, sometime of Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. The only trouble is that he was in Canada at the time and, by accident, it was patented in New York. Or the television. John Logie Baird? Yes, the first mechanical TV, in 1926. But the first electronic TV was demonstrated by one Philo Farnsworth in San Francisco a year later.

Now no one can really claim to invent a food; however, on holiday in Portugal I thought I'd look into some of the claims being made on behalf of that nation for the introduction to Europe and elsewhere of foods we eat every day. I looked at the list with initial scepticism. Potatoes? Well we know it wasn't Walter Raleigh. He came late to the spud fest. But it wasn't the Portuguese either. The Spanish can definitely claim that prize, but as soon as a food reaches Spain it's across the border into Portugal, so understandable, I guess. I would also discount the maize claims, for the same reason.

Citrus fruit? Surely not. Well, yes and no. Lemons, bitter oranges and pomelos made the short journey across the Med: however, when it comes to sweet oranges, our hosts here can share the bragging rights with the Genoese, then equally great sailors.

Vindaloo

Some of the authentic claims are the most surprising. Imagine Indian food with no chilli peppers. Well that's how it was until the Portuguese introduced them to the subcontinent. A popular dish was a stew, marinated in wine, named Vinha d'Alhos. It was taken to their territory of Goa, in the south west. There being no local wine for a marinade, they changed to palm vinegar, and the dish which we know as vindaloo was born.

Sometime in the 16th century, Portuguese sailors made it as far east as Japan. The latter being a closed country, they weren't terribly well received, but if you have guns to trade... Well, plus ça change... And needless to say, they brought their own Christian ways with them, including the requirement to fast (ie abstain from meat) on religious days. We know that frying in batter was brought to us from the Iberian peninsula. We also know that in Japan the sailors made good use of the abundant supplies of green beans which they referred to as peixinhos da horta, literally, little fish from the garden. Covered in batter and deep fried, these were eaten on fast days, or tempora as these were known. The Portuguese left: tempura stayed. Tempura, vindaloo. Who knew?