Portuguese cuisine has increasingly achieved international recognition, being appreciated by tourists and cooking specialists. Among the most iconic dishes in our country, stands out the traditional Portuguese cooked, a recipe rich in flavors and history. This dish has been part of the Portuguese menu for centuries and is considered one of the oldest of our gastronomy. However, its exact origin remains a reason for debate, raising the issue: Who will have invented the Portuguese cooked?
This issue led Radio Vale do Minho, quoted by, to consult experts in the area of gastronomy and culinary history. However, the conclusions may not please all Portuguese. According to specialized sources, the origin of the dish that today we know as cooked to Portuguese dates back to neighboring Spain. According to these experts, the dish would have evolved from the “olla picrido”, a traditional Spanish recipe that was quite popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. This dish is even mentioned in the famous book Dom Quixote de la Manchaby Miguel de Cervantes, reinforcing its importance in Spanish culture.
However, and despite this theory, there are those who argue that the Portuguese cooked has exclusively national origins. According to this perspective, revenue will have arisen in Portugal during the seventeenth century, in a context of economic difficulties that affected much of the population. The poorest families took advantage of leftovers from other meals and joined them with beans and vegetables of the time, creating a nutritious and affordable dish. The simplicity of this recipe made it ideal for feeding whole families with the few resources available.
Notwithstanding the possible inspiration in the “olla picrido”, the adaptation made in Portugal resulted in a revenue with its own characteristics, both in the ingredients and in the mode of clothing, making it a true symbol of national gastronomy.
The first reference written to a dish similar to the Portuguese cooked appears in the book Kitchen artpublished in 1680 by Domingos Rodrigues, cook of the Casa Real de Portugal. This work, which brings together about 300 recipes of the time, mentions the “olla pomrido” and describes its composition, which included fat cow, chicken, partridge, pigeons, rabbit, ears, chorizos, sausage, pig loins, turnip , garlic, chickpeas, nuts, salt and aromatic herbs. These ingredients gave the dish a great richness of flavors and textures, reflecting the influence of the nobility in its confection.
Still, and despite the detailed description of the ingredients, Domingos Rodrigues never referred to this dish as “Portuguese cooked”. The revenue was designated by the Spanish name of “Olla Pomrida”, which reinforces the thesis that its origin may be in Spanish cuisine. However, over the years, revenue has undergone changes and adaptations in Portugal, eventually gaining a more national character and increasingly different from its possible Spanish inspiration.
After the publication of Domingos Rodrigues’ book, “Olla Pomrida” began to spread through the Portuguese territory, gradually becoming more popular. Over time, the Portuguese have been modifying revenue, making it more accessible and suitable for the ingredients available in the country. The original version consisted of a wide variety of meat, which made it a more frequent dish on the tables of rich families. However, the population began to adapt the revenue to their possibilities, using less meat and highlighting vegetables and sausages.
The humblest communities began to prepare the cooked with previous meals, taking advantage of the ingredients available in an economic and sustainable way. Thus, the dish was democratizing and becoming a habitual presence in the food of the Portuguese. Gradually, new national ingredients were being incorporated into the recipe, such as salpicão, ham, bacon, blood choriza and other stooples typical of our gastronomy.
With these changes, the dish was distancing itself from the Spanish version and gaining its own identity, more adjusted to the Portuguese taste. The fusion between tradition and national products eventually turned the original recipe into a unique and emblematic plate of Portuguese cuisine. Thus was born the Portuguese cooked, as we know it today: a rich, comforting and traditional dish that crossed centuries without losing its place in the national gastronomic culture.
Regardless of its origin, the Portuguese cooked has become a symbol of the country’s culinary identity and remains one of the most appreciated delicacies by the Portuguese and those who visit us. Its versatility and the way it adapts to local products make it a true reflection of the richness of national gastronomy, perpetuating a tradition that remains alive to this day.
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