the delicacy
From the vantage point of its timelessness, this blatantly tasty morsel of Portuguese cuisine easily wins over fans in a feast for the senses.
codfish cake, an icon of the portuguese cuisine
Codfish, potato, egg, parsley, and olive oil. The simple recipe for the plump codfish cakes described by Carlos Bento da Maia in his book “Treatise on kitchen and service” from the early 20th century has crossed generations to claim its place as one of the most important icons of Portuguese cuisine. Known as a “pastel” in the south and a “bolinho” in the north of Portugal, this delicacy is connected with the country’s history and is actually far more than just a snack. That is perhaps why author António Lobo Antunes is quoted as having said, “Making codfish cakes is as important as reading Os Lusíadas”. And we make them every day.
serra da estrela pdo cheese
It is in Serra da Estrela Mountain that we have our origins. We are well aware of the reality of shepherds for whom there are no vacations, holidays or weekends, because the sheep have to graze every day. The Bordaleira sheep from Serra da Estrela, the main dairy sheep breed in Portugal, produce milk of exceptional quality, from which the wisdom of the mountain people have created an unrivaled cheese. The current reduced number of sheep is a consequence of the abandonment of the shepherd profession due to the lack of support, the inertia of the sector and the undervaluation of the productive potential of this sheep breed.
In 2015, the creation of Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau concept promoted the incorporation of Serra da Estrela PDO cheese in the codfish cake, absorbing a large part of the cheese production and allowing the shepherds to be remunerated fairly. They are the ones who make possible to ensure the continuity of the profession and a divine cheese, with 1300 years of history and with Protected Designation of Origin.
codfish
An open fish, cured by salt, sun and time. This is codfish, simple, like everything that characterizes us as a people, one of the most traditional fish consumed in Portugal, universally known and appreciated and with a long secular history. Despite our immense coastline, Portugal brought this fish from the cold waters of the North Atlantic to its identity, being currently the world’s largest consumer of dried salted cod. We Portuguese say that cod, the “faithful friend”, allows us to make 1001 recipes! At Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau we choose the traditional codfish cakes to delight the mouths of the world with the nobility and unrivaled flavor of Serra da Estrela PDO Cheese.
port wine
The landscape of the Douro wine region encompasses the generosity of nature brushed by the hand of man. A unique setting, built by our ancestors who dared to split the shale to make room for the vineyard, anticipating what would become one of the most famous wines in the world. The result is an astonishing landscape of rare beauty, which the Portuguese writer Miguel Torga did not hesitate to describe as “An excess of nature. A geological poem. Absolute beauty!” Born on the terraces of the Douro River and produced in the oldest demarcated region in the world, Port Wine is the perfect pair for Codfish Cake with PDO Serra Cheese filling.