Xarém[1] or xerém[2] is a thick soup or porridge from Algarve, Portugal that is eaten in Cape Verde and Brazil as well.[3] It has a corn flour base combined with other traditional ingredients which vary by region.[4] The dish is prepared using corn meal, clams or sardines, and grilled meats.[5][6] The Algarvian version is most commonly prepared using clams.[5][6]
Etymology
editThe words "xerém" and "xarém" have no known etymological origin, though there are two hypotheses for the origin of the words:
Brazil
editIt is a traditional dish in the Northeast Region of Brazil, especially in Pernambuco. The Brazilian dish contains coarsely ground corn kernels, and it is similar to polenta.[8]
It is also popular in Minas Gerais, where it is not called "xerém" but "little hominy ". The name is given to both the raw broken corn, and the cooked dishes made with it.[9] Traditionally, the Mineira hominy is cooked with pork ribs, sometimes with pork cuts with chicken, beef, or sausage added.[citation needed]
Cape Verde
editIn Cape Verde, xarém is considered a traditional dish. It contains corn grain mixed with water, laurel, butter, and salt.[10] It can also be prepared with fresh tuna, coconut milk, onions, and gindungo peppers.[citation needed] Xerém de festa is prepared with fat, pork meat, and onions,[11] or in other cases, with beans, bay leaf, peppers and tomatoes.[12] It is often used for wedding parties.[13]
On the island of Brava, a drum festival is celebrated in the month of June when the xarem dish is eaten and prepared as people dance to the coladeiras.[14]
Portugal
editIn Portugal, xarém is a traditional dish in the southern Algarve region, and is quite common in the city of Olhão. In that city, the dish is prepared using clams, bacon, and ham.[15] Other ingredients may include greaves, pork, and grilled sardines.[15] A dish called "xarém with shells" was one of 70 candidates in a September 2011 cook-off for the 'Seven Wonders of Portuguese Cooking' award, but it lost.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ S.A., Priberam Informática. "Significado / definição de xerém no Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa". www.priberam.pt.
- ^ S.A., Priberam Informática. "Significado / definição de xarém no Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa". www.priberam.pt.
- ^ Alves, Jose. "Xerém Tradicional - Cabo Verde - Sabores da Lusofonia - Roteiro Gastronómico de Portugal". www.gastronomias.com.
- ^ "Xerém: Significado de "xerém" no Dicionário Português Online: Moderno Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa - Michaelis - UOL". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
- ^ a b Xarém recipe
- ^ a b DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Portugal. EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDES. DK Publishing. 2014. p. 412. ISBN 978-1-4654-2211-8.
- ^ Cunha, A. G. Dicionário etimológico Nova Fronteira da língua portuguesa (Etymological Dictionary of the New Frontiers of the Portuguese Language). Rio de Janeiro. Nova Fronteira. p. 832.
- ^ "Polenta with Shrimp ~ Brazilian Style - GF One Pot Meal - Global Kitchen Travels". 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
- ^ "Homimy with cooked pork". February 16, 2014. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ^ "Xerém simples - Primeiro diário caboverdiano em linha - A SEMANA". August 10, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-08-10.
- ^ "Cape Verdean Foods". April 6, 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-04-06.
- ^ "XERÉM DI FESTA - Primeiro diário caboverdiano em linha - A SEMANA". March 4, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
- ^ "Gastronomia". www.cmrb.cv. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ SAPO. "SAPO". SAPO.
- ^ a b "Gastronomia". August 15, 2003. Archived from the original on 2003-08-15.
- ^ "70 pre-finalistas" (in Portuguese). Maravilhas da Gastronomia. 10 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
