Cozido à Barrosã - Dining with ‘Grandma Chiquinha’ and the traditions of Montalegre

Idalina Garcia Gomes, better known as ‘Grandma Chiquinha’, welcomed the Villas&Golfe team into her traditional kitchen, amid the steam rising from the iron pots resting on the hearth. Even before taking our seats at the table, and before we had any idea that we would be welcomed so warmly as part of the family, we could already sense the flavour of tradition and the warmth of the people of Montalegre.
The rituals involved in preparing Cozido à Barrosã (a meat and vegetable stew from Portugal’s Barroso region) have been passed down through the generations. Idalina grew up in Vilar de Perdizes, but has lived in Montalegre ever since she got married. She learnt how to make Cozido à Barrosã from her mother and made sure this recipe lived on. It has been part of her life ever since she started cooking, and she continues to make it with the same respect for its ingredients and the time-honoured methods that tradition demands.

[…] this is no ordinary Portuguese stew. This is Cozido à Barrosã, a dish deeply influenced by the local landscape, climate and the people […].

In fact, if you ask ‘Grandma Chiquinha’, this is the secret to a truly delicious stew: first-rate ingredients and respect for the cooking process. After all, this is no ordinary Portuguese stew. This is Cozido à Barrosã, a dish deeply influenced by the local landscape, climate and the people who, for centuries, have learnt to preserve food to endure the harsh winters of the mountains.
The process begins long before the fire is lit. The pork is salted, hung in the smokehouse and left to slowly cure naturally. There are no shortcuts or artificial flavourings here. The smoke originates solely from small embers salvaged from wood-fired ovens and a few sticks of oak, just enough to gently suffuse the meat without compromising its authenticity. The characteristic cold of Montalegre then does the rest, slowly drying each piece and concentrating its flavour.
Only then can the cooking begin. The cast-iron pot and the hearth still play an invaluable role, preserving a way of cooking where time is just as important as the ingredients. The smoked meat is joined by cabbage, carrots and other local produce. In more recent times, ‘Grandma Chiquinha’ has expanded the meal to include a bean and rice side dish, in a subtle evolution of the original recipe without ever altering its essence. We absolutely love it!

[Idalina] learnt how to make Cozido à Barrosã from her mother and made sure this recipe lived on.

The quality of ingredients is still the biggest secret. The pork is reared locally, and every ingredient reflects the origins of this unique region, where nature, the grazing land and the climate combine to create flavours that are impossible to replicate elsewhere.
Sat around the table, it’s easy to see why this dish has survived for generations. The smoky flavour is intense yet balanced; the meat falls apart gently – there is pumpkin sausage, blood sausage, pork sausage, pork knuckle, veal, pig’s trotter, pig’s head, pig’s ear and pig’s snout; the cabbage soaks up the juices slowly released over hours of cooking; and every delicious mouthful showcases the authenticity of a culinary tradition that has never needed to reinvent itself to preserve its extraordinary character.

The cast-iron pot and the hearth still play an invaluable role, preserving a way of cooking where time is just as important as the ingredients.

And the people here are extraordinary too. At Casa da AvóChiquinha, which is also a delightful rural guesthouse, Idalina and her children make their guests feel like family. And they serve them an unforgettable meal. They tell us that anyone who tries this Cozido à Barrosã for the first time is unlikely to forget the experience, and we can vouch for that.
Some call it unique. Others say it tastes ‘out of this world’. This may be because, increasingly, true luxury lies not in complexity, but in the honest simplicity of a recipe that is still made as it always has been: with time, over a slow fire, using local produce and the know-how of people who have learnt that the finest traditions cannot be written down – they are passed down from generation to generation, around a table. Among family and friends.

Text: Carla Martins
Photos: Ana Nogueira