This is the first of a photo series featuring the inner workings of a typical Portuguese kitchen. Recipes can be found all over the internet but what I am discovering is that there’s a lack of photos for the preparing/cooking process. My goal with this series is to introduce traditional Portuguese dishes and how they’re made using photos instead of words. Let’s face it, I’m sure everyone’s mama cooks differently but every dish is the result of years of feeding families and are thus tried and tested! As with all cooking, measurements are not precise and are up to personal taste. Also, I don’t want to give away any of the chef’s secrets.
Special thanks to my mother-in-law for letting my camera nose in on her time-honoured traditional Portuguese cooking!
I’m starting with a very simple dessert/snack named marmelada, which my husband loves. There are only two ingredients of more or less equal parts: quince (marmelo) and sugar (açúcar). I’d never eaten quince or marmelada before Paulo introduced it to me, and I have to admit I wasn’t taken by it the first time I had it. Or second. Or third. But by the time you reach the end of this post you’ll see how I needed a proper introduction to be won over.
Although it sounds like the English word marmalade, it is quite dissimilar in texture, since quince is not citrus and the paste is smoother (no peels go in), cooling to a dense block that you cut with a knife. That’s probably the main reason why I wasn’t too keen on it, because I was associating it too much with English-style marmalade, which I find too sweet. With marmelada you can dial the sugar up or down of your own accord. You can also cook it longer for more firmness and a darker brown shade.
Ahhhh, now THIS is how it’s done: a warm spread of marmelada on fresh bread with a slice of cheese. (My husband hates cheese, no wonder he didn’t tell me about this. He eats his marmelada with chouriço, Portuguese sausage, which I thought was a weird combination.) This recipe refers to marmelada with cheese as “Romeo & Juliet”.
Oh my goodness, I would never have expected this combination to be so tasty — in fact, I never would’ve thought to team up cheese with marmelada at all. If you’re trying this outside the Iberian Peninsula, go for a mild cheese. The cheese here in Portugal is excellent and the most common is queijo flamengo, super smooth and mild in flavour, similar to Dutch Edam. Mainland cheese is from sheep and goats, and cheese from the Azores is from cows. If you like cheese you can’t go wrong here — I’ve yet to meet a Portuguese cheese I didn’t like. Series Navigation
The Portuguese original word marmelada means made of ‘quince’. Unlike jam, a large quantity of water is added to the fruit in a marmalade, the extra liquid being set by the high pectin content of the fruit.
Marmelada is one of Portugals oldest exports and its no mystery why! The quince fruit, which is inedible raw is turned into this amazing jam with a thicker consistency; soft enough to spoon, yet solid enough to slice with a knife. Not only great paired with bread and butter but out of this world when paired with cheese! Marmelada is a staple in Portuguese pantries and now you can stock it in your own kitchen and enjoy a delicious breakfast or snack, Portuguese style!
Oh my goodness, I would never have expected this combination to be so tasty — in fact, I never would’ve thought to team up cheese with marmelada at all. If you’re trying this outside the Iberian Peninsula, go for a mild cheese. The cheese here in Portugal is excellent and the most common is queijo flamengo, super smooth and mild in flavour, similar to Dutch Edam. Mainland cheese is from sheep and goats, and cheese from the Azores is from cows. If you like cheese you can’t go wrong here — I’ve yet to meet a Portuguese cheese I didn’t like. Series Navigation
Ahhhh, now THIS is how it’s done: a warm spread of marmelada on fresh bread with a slice of cheese. (My husband hates cheese, no wonder he didn’t tell me about this. He eats his marmelada with chouriço, Portuguese sausage, which I thought was a weird combination.) This recipe refers to marmelada with cheese as “Romeo & Juliet”.
Although it sounds like the English word marmalade, it is quite dissimilar in texture, since quince is not citrus and the paste is smoother (no peels go in), cooling to a dense block that you cut with a knife. That’s probably the main reason why I wasn’t too keen on it, because I was associating it too much with English-style marmalade, which I find too sweet. With marmelada you can dial the sugar up or down of your own accord. You can also cook it longer for more firmness and a darker brown shade.
This is the first of a photo series featuring the inner workings of a typical Portuguese kitchen. Recipes can be found all over the internet but what I am discovering is that there’s a lack of photos for the preparing/cooking process. My goal with this series is to introduce traditional Portuguese dishes and how they’re made using photos instead of words. Let’s face it, I’m sure everyone’s mama cooks differently but every dish is the result of years of feeding families and are thus tried and tested! As with all cooking, measurements are not precise and are up to personal taste. Also, I don’t want to give away any of the chef’s secrets.
Special thanks to my mother-in-law for letting my camera nose in on her time-honoured traditional Portuguese cooking!
Traditional Portuguese Quince Marmalade / Marmelada Tradicional Portuguesa
FAQ
What is the difference between jam and marmalade?
What does the word marmalade come from in Portuguese?
How do you eat marmelada?
What’s the difference between marmelada and Marmelade?
What is Portuguese Marmalade?
A staple of seasonal Portuguese cuisine, it is a thick, copper-red confection that is still produced today out of quince, a fall pome fruit, in much the same way as it was in Henry VIII’s day. It’s nothing at all like British marmalade, and any resemblance between the two is purely etymological, and confusingly so.
How do you make a Portuguese marmelada?
This traditional Portuguese marmelada recipe (quince marmalade) is perfect for spreading on bread along with some fresh cheese for your morning breakfast. Rince, remove seeds, and cut the quince fruit into small cubes, then place into a medium-sized pot along with the sugar and water and give it a stir so the sugar coats the fruit.
What is marmalade made of?
Marmalade (from the Portuguese marmelada) is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange. It is also made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamots, and other citrus fruits, or a combination.
What fruit is used for marmalade?
The preferred citrus fruit for marmalade production [according to whom?] is the Spanish Seville or bitter orange, Citrus aurantium var. aurantium, prized for its high pectin content, which sets readily to the thick consistency expected of marmalade. The peel imparts a bitter taste. The Portuguese original word marmelada means made of ‘ quince ‘ .