Xarém[1]orxerém[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]
It 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]
In 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]
In 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]
^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.
^"70 pre-finalistas" (in Portuguese). Maravilhas da Gastronomia. 10 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
Portugal
