It is such a pleasure to bring Portuguese tradition to the table.

One of our family’s favorite meals is Shrimp Açorda—a traditional Portuguese dish that’s quick and easy to prepare. But before we share the ingredients and secrets of our recipe, let us first give you a brief historical overview.

 The etymology of the term “açorda” traces back to Arabic; while “tharada” means “to crumble bread,” “tharid” or “tharida” refers to “crumbled bread soaked in meat and broth.” It is well known that in the early days of Islam, the word “tharid” was used to refer to a soup made of bread and meat.

According to the hosts of the Favas Contadas podcast , the “birth” of açorda is attributed to Muhammad’s great-grandfather and is said to have resulted from an extremely dry year in Mecca. Seeing the famine that was then ravaging his people, the ruler Hashim ibn Abd Manaf traveled to Syria and loaded his camels with wheat. Upon his return, he slaughtered the camels for meat and used the wheat to make bread; combining these two ingredients, he created the first açorda, which he distributed to feed the entire population. For this reason, a recreation of this original açorda is still shared today with pilgrims visiting Mecca.

In any case, even though the word is etymologically of Arabic origin, several researchers and scholars argue that the culinary practices and ingredients that gave rise to the most famous of Portugal’s traditional açordas—the Alentejo garlic açorda—date back to before the Moorish rule of the Iberian Peninsula, all the way to the Roman occupation.

Like so many other Portuguese delicacies, açorda seems to have originated as a simple, staple dish prepared by the poorest communities, made with stale bread, garlic, olive oil, herbs, and hot water. It later evolved into richer versions, such as the one we present here—Seafood Açorda.

Well, let’s put history and stories aside for a moment and get down to business. Here’s the recipe:

🍤 Shrimp Açorda – with a delicious seafood and garlic flavor!

• Chop the garlic and cilantro. 
• Place the mixture in a skillet with olive oil and season with salt.
• Once the garlic is cooked, add the shrimp.
• In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and add the bread, cut into pieces, stirring gently so it doesn't fall apart too much.
• Mix the shrimp with the bread until the mixture is creamy and well combined.
• Tip: You can add a poached egg or egg yolks at the end!

🍷Pairing:
We recommend our Quinta da Raza Avesso 2024 and Quinta da Raza Alvarinho 2024 as ideal choices. The natural freshness, minerality, and complexity of the brief bottle aging perfectly balance the creaminess of the açorda.