Caldo verde


Caldo verde is a popular soup in Portuguese cuisine.
The basic traditional ingredients for caldo verde use collard greens, potatoes, olive oil, black pepper and salt. Garlic and onion are traditionally added as well. Some recipes add meat, such as ham hock, making it similar to Italo-American wedding soup. The soup is usually accompanied by slices of paio, chouriço or linguiça, and with Portuguese broa corn-bread or rye-bread for dipping. In Portugal, caldo verde is typically consumed during Portuguese celebrations, such as weddings, birthdays, and popular celebrations. For example, the St. John festival, in Braga or Porto. It is sometimes consumed before a main course meal or as a late supper. This soup is served in a tigela, a traditional earthenware bowl.

History

Caldo verde originated from the Minho Province in northern Portugal. Today, it is a traditional national favourite that has spread across the nation and abroad, especially to places where a large community of Portuguese migrants have settled such as Brazil, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. References to the soup appear in many novels by Camilo Castelo Branco.