Sorpotel

Sorpotel or sorpatel is a dish from Goa, India usually served at festivals and celebrations (such as Christmas and weddings) and made from pork. It probably derives from the Portuguese dish "sarapatel" and "cabidela", sharing similar ingredients, namely, cheap cuts of pork and pork offal (heart, liver, kidneys), as well as some of the blood of the animal. The meats are first parboiled, then diced and sauteed before being cooked in a spicy and vinegary sauce. It is often said the flavour of sorpotel improves, and is best enjoyed the day after it is prepared, or even days later. In the days before refrigeration, the spices and vinegar in the dish preserved it, and as long as it was reheated every day, it could be stored without refrigeration for several days.

The flavourings and spices differ from region to region, for example, some use more vinegar. The size of the pieces also varies, as does cooking technique: some saute the meat prior to cooking it in the sauce, while others add the diced parboiled meat directly to the sauce. In the last several decades, the use of pig's blood in the recipe is declining. Many cooks often use mainly pork for the recipe and only the liver, choosing to omit other organ meats.

Use of different utensils is also said to vary taste - so it is common to have cooks dedicate an earthen pot or a copper one to the preparation of sorpotel.

Sorpotel is often accompanied by "sanna" - a spongy, white, and slightly sweet steamed rice and coconut bread. However, it can also be enjoyed with bread, on rice, or in a bun as a sandwich. Many people are also known to enjoy sorpotel cold from the refrigerator, with bread, in the morning for breakfast. [cite web|url=http://www.recipezaar.com/126552|title=Sorpotel Recipe|accessdate=2008-10-01]

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References

*cite web
title= Sorpotel
url=http://www.rossomak.net/modules.php?name=Christmas-MM&page=Sorpotel.html
accessdate=2008-09-20
ref=

External links