Papas de sarrabulho

Papas de sarrabulho is not a dish you ease into — it is Minho’s boldest comfort food, a savory porridge of several meats thickened with cornmeal and enriched with cooked pork blood, warmed with cumin. And for those of us who grew up with it, one spoonful is pure nostalgia.

My grandmother made it on cold days, and visiting her in Portugal meant sitting down to a big steaming bowl of it. Recreating her recipe here in the US took some trial and error, but the version below finally tastes like her kitchen.

I know blood-based dishes can sound intimidating if you did not grow up with them — but this is a centuries-old tradition across Portugal, France and beyond, and the flavor is deep, earthy and surprisingly gentle. If you are curious about real regional Portuguese cooking, this is the dish to try.

Papas de Sarrabulho Recipe (Braga Style)

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 35 minutes · Total: 55 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~365 per serving

Ingredients

• 10 oz beef
• 7 oz bacon
• 7 oz fatty ham
• 10 oz pork ribs
• 1 well-cured pork bone (for flavor)
• ½ chicken
• Collard greens, to taste
• 9 oz cooked pork blood (see notes)
• 9 oz (about 1¾ cups) sifted cornmeal
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Ground cumin, to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add all the meats, season with salt, and simmer until everything is cooked (some cuts take longer than others).
2. Remove the meats, keeping the broth in the pot, and shred them as finely as you can.
3. Whisk the cornmeal and the cooked blood into the broth until it forms a porridge that is loose but not watery.
4. Return the shredded meats to the pot, season with cumin, and cook a few minutes more, stirring.
5. Serve in bowls with a extra dusting of cumin on top.

Recipe Notes

• Cooked pork blood can be found at Portuguese, Spanish or Asian markets — ask your butcher.
• The choice of meats is flexible: beef and chicken alone work, and pork giblets (heart, lung, liver) are traditional additions.
• Shred the meats as finely as possible — almost hair-thin, as the tradition demands.
• Some cooks use crumbled bread instead of cornmeal; add it gradually until you reach the thickness you like.
• Cloves and nutmeg refine the aroma, and a squeeze of lemon just before serving lifts the whole dish.