Portuguese Açorda Recipe

Açorda is a traditional Portuguese soup with a primary ingredient of stale bread. The soup is flavored with garlic, salt, cilantro or coriander, olive oil and black pepper. It is then served topped with a poached egg and can be additionally be accompanied by sliced bread and a drizzle of oil.

Preparation methods vary slightly. The bread can be added to the broth while it is still cooking, although this is more common when making açorda with seafood. Typically, the broth is cooked first then the bread as added to the pot just before servings or placed in the serving bowl where the broth is poured over.

Using stale bread is best because it does not break down as quickly as fresh bread. When no stale bread is on hand, fresh bread can be toasted first before using.

Cilantro gives this soup a distinctive flavor. Cilantro and coriander are from the same plant but don’t have the same flavor. In the US, cilantro refers to the plants leaves while coriander refers to its dried seeds. In some places the two names are used interchangeably. For açorda, it is the fresh cilantro leaves that are used.

It is not usual for other herbs be used in place of cilantro, in particular pennyroyal, an herb with a slightly minty scent. Other variations include açorda made with seafood like shrimp or codfish. Some add more vegetables such as tomatoes or meats like ham and chorizo.

Origin & Cultural Significance

Açorda was originally a peasant dish. It required just a handful of household staples and was a way to use up tough old bread. It’s believed to originate in the Alentejo region of Southern Portugal where it is most common.

The word açorda is thought to come from the Arabic term ‘Ath Turda’ meaning soup with bread. The Arabic Portuguese connection being that Portugal was once ruled by the Moors – Arabic speaking Muslims from North Africa circa the 8^th century.

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