Sarapatel (, ), or Sorpotel, is a dish of Portuguese origin now commonly cooked in the

Konkan The Konkan is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, bound by the river Daman Ganga at Damaon in the north, to Anjediva Island next to Karwar town in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau to the eas ...

—primarily

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

, and

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

—the erstwhile ''

Estado da Índia Portuguesa Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

'' colony. What came to India was the version popular from

Alentejo Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond the Tagus" (). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo Province, Alto Alentejo and Bai ...

region of Portugal, to which the native Goan Christians and East Indians added their own flavors. It is also prepared in northeastern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The word ‘''Sarapatel''’ literally means confusion, referring to the mish-mash of ingredients which include Pork meat and

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organ (anatomy), organs of a butchered animal. Offal may also refer to the by-products of Milling (grinding), milled grains, such as corn or wheat. Some cultures strong ...

(which includes heart, liver, tongue, and even pork blood sometimes). However, blood is rarely used in the modern-day version since pure blood is difficult to acquire. The meat is first parboiled, then diced and sauteed before being cooked in a spicy and vinegary sauce. The flavourings and spices differ from region to region, for example, some use more

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

. The size of the pieces also varies, as does cooking technique: some sauté the meat prior to cooking it in the sauce, while others add the diced parboiled meat directly to the sauce. In Goa and Mangalore, Sorpotel is often accompanied by ‘ ''Sanna''’—a spongy, white, and slightly sweet

steamed rice Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Asian rice (both indica and japonica varieties), African rice or wild rice, glutino ...

and coconut bread. However, it can also be enjoyed with ''Pão'', on cooked rice, or in a bun as a sandwich.

External links

Sorpotel RecipeFood Story: How Sorpotel travelled from Brazil to India
{{Indian Dishes Brazilian cuisine Goan cuisine Indian fusion cuisine Pork dishes Portuguese fusion cuisine

See also

External links