The Trinidad Portugal fruit is more interesting than You think.
“Gimme Ah’ Peg of Yuh Pootigal Dey ”
Around this time every year; back to school after the holidays, daily recess time could not go pass without the presence of the ubiquitous Portugal in the lunch kit.
As I cringed to hear my friends say that they brought “pootigal” today for snack time, I could hear the echo of my father’s voice correcting them and saying “ it’s not pronounced pootigal but Portugal”. But given the local vernacular of the fruit, just the other day; I was in the kitchen at work with my mixologist friend Rakesh and we were discussing how we could use this fruit in different ways for either cooking or mixing drinks. Never the less Portugal’s prove to be a favorite fruit with the majority of Trinidadians, be it from Santa Cruz to Icacos.
Now when juiced it produces a sweet soft and decadent flavor on your palette but still gives you that slight pungent sharpness that is still tolerable.
Never the less, it is imperative to state that Portugal’s do belong to the Citrus Varietal of Oranges. Known widely in the United States and across the globe as the “ Clementine” here in Trinidad & Tobago and across the Caribbean we lovingly accept its name as the Portugal.
Available mostly during November through January; this availability has them referred to in some areas as "Christmas Oranges". The Highway Vending Stalls all along the Uriah Butler Highway to roaming Vendors in front UWI to Small Fruit and Vegetable shacks in Manzanilla, package and bag out Portugal’s for sale to the public during this time. But what makes this fruit such a desirable and favorite amongst children and even the older folks? I know for one, I enjoyed saving the skin of the fruit and squeezing it to release the zesty oils in it at my Sister’s eyes so it would sting her ( Laughing ) wickedness yes ! but fun. Never the less it is really a unique fruit with distinct character.
An important fact to note is that the Portugal is a cross between a mandarin orange and an orange. The traditional story is that it was "originally an accidental hybrid or “graft” said to have been discovered by Father Clément Rodier in the garden of his orphanage in Algeria.
Unlike its cousin the tangerine, the Portugal isn’t supposed to have any seeds.
In fact, a Portugal with seeds is evidence that bees have been at work cross-pollinating the trees with other fruit. Portugal’s lose their desirable seedless characteristic when they are cross-pollinated with other fruit. Imagine that, how many times have you placed a “peg” of Portugal in your mouth and had to fish around the seeds, it sorts of disturbs the ravishing chewing and busting of sweet juicy flavor experience that I like when eating seedless grapes. Portugal’s have a bright orange outer rind that has a waxy coating over it. Inside, the fruit is a lighter orange in color with white fibers separating the fleshy parts into wedges consisting of seven to fourteen moderately-juicy segments. They come in a variety of different sizes, the smallest are about three inches in diameter, and the largest can reach about five.
Available widely in the Caribbean and Sub Tropical Countries, it is also grown under close moderation in Spain, Morocco, North Africa, South Africa and Chile and are also grown in parts of the U.S. including Florida and California.
Portugal trees thrive in Sunny warm environments as this helps the maturation, color definition and Flavor distinction of the fruit. Actually when attempting to eat a Portugal, it consist of a type of skin called “ Zipper Skin” which you can easily peel using your thumb primarily and fingers. Even though the skin is hardly used for any major purposes due to its bitter quality, I did encounter one experience when I was cooking wild meat with another chef and he stated that the skin or peel of the fruit is also added when cooking hard game meats, as the oils help to tenderize and break down the meat to some degree. Even though the skin may be less desirable, the fruit itself contains a good source of antioxidants, including vitamin C and limonene.
These help protect the body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals.
Their oils, like other citrus fruits, contain mostly limonene as well as myrcene, linalool, pinene and many complex aromatics. It is a good source of dietary fiber and possesses immense phytonutrients ( Disease Fighting Enzymes ) The Vitamin C content is essential for strong bones and Teeth and studies done by the USDA have concluded that two Portugal’s fulfill the recommended daily requirement of Vitamin C.
But with all old talk aside, how do you know when to pick a fresh ripened Portugal.
These days not much of us are blessed to have Grand Parents or family deep in the country like me to take them out into the land and teach them about fruits and relate stories of them to the younger generation. So with this being said, reading, experimentation and by trial and error, it is so important for us today to develop autonomy with many things: even fruits. Always choose a Portugal from the tree with glossy, deep orange skins, it should have some significant weight to it, the skin should also be puffy and try to avoid bruised ones with marks and brown spots.
With everything that deals with nature and human kind, as a culinarian, most if not all chefs like myself will agree with me when I say, we should always invoke some of the senses that we were given to better understand fruits and food; our sight smell, touch and taste help us to speak too and comprehend the food better and know exactly how to treat with it and make it seductive to our likeness and appeal.
With this being said here, I know at this very moment what everyone is thinking about, “ Gosh nothing is more seductive than a Portugal Chow (Pootigal Chow). With flavor profiles all embarking on your tongue such as Sweetness, Savoury, Spicy Pepper, tangy-sourness and that Pungent Sting from the Seasonings, How could that not get someone excited - am I right ?
Here’s a Spin on a normal Trinidadian Portugal Chow but done with some additional flavor components.
Portugal Chow Recipe
6 Portugals (Peeled and Segments Separated)
6 Large Blades of Minced Chadon Beni (Serrated Leaf Cilantro)
3 Cloves of Finely Minced Garlic
1 Tsp. of Minced Hot Pepper
¼ Cup of Finely Sliced Purple Onions (Thinly Julienned Sliced)
2 Ounces of Dark Rum (This Be Omitted)
4 Dashes of Citrus Bitters
½ Cup of Sweet Pineapple Juice.
Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste.
Method
(1) In A Large Bowl , Place Portugals and all the other seasonings in.
Gently Toss.
(2) Add the Pine Apple Juice, Rum and bitters. Toss Once More.
(3) Add Salt and black pepper according to your discretion and taste preference.
(4) Toss one last time to ensure all Ingredients are combined and homogenous, and let sit for ten minutes in the refrigerator. ( This helps to bring out the character of each ingredients and ensure all flavors inter-mingle.)
#Chefjasonperu / #Portugal / #Trinidad / Chow / #TriniChow / #Clementine / #ChadonBeni #TheOriginalBubblinStar
