Soup Imposters

I love coincidences.

photo by savannachik

Last week I wrote an article for About.com that was a cookbook review of Ana Patuleia Ortins' Portuguese Homestyle Cooking. One of the things I like about her book is her detailed attention to writing recipes that are authentic.  She says, in her book, "While I encourage substitutions when necessary, keep in mind that if you substitute a different ethnic ingredient--for example, kielbasa instead of linguiça--the dish can longer be considered authentic Portuguese cooking; it is now fusion."

And I agree with that. There is nothing wrong with experimenting, blending cuisines and using the ingredients one has on hand, and I do that all the time. In fact, I had leftovers from making the very traditional Arroz de Tomate (Tomato Rice) and discovered that is is excellent mixed with some smoked Lake Michigan trout. This combo is not in the least authentic, but it was good!

A couple of days ago my daughter and I took a day trip to Petoskey, which is about 45 minutes away from our Lake Michigan cottage in Mackinaw City, Michigan. Petosky has a downtown area full of small restaurants and cool boutiques.

We started off with lunch at the Mitchell Street Pub. "What's the soup of the day?" I asked. "Portuguese Soup," said the waitress. "It has cabbage, potatoes and sausage in it." Well, bowl me over with a Petoskey stone! This area is not known for its Portuguese anything, so I was surprised, to say the least. And of course I had to order it.

While I waited for it to come I pondered the soup's title--"Portuguese Soup." That's kind of like calling a dish "Italian Pasta." It could mean one of hundreds of dishes. Portuguese cuisine relies heavily on soups and stews, and there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of varieties. Even just using those ingredients--cabbage, potatoes and sausage--there are more than one kind of Portuguese soup recipes that make use of precisely those items.

When it came, I took a tentative bite and was pleased with the flavor. In the second bite I got a piece of sausage and was well rewarded for my sceptical ponderings. It was kielbasa. There are some Polish restaurants around here, most notably the famous Legs Inn in Cross Village, and it is easy to find kielbasa in the grocery store. But authentic Portuguese sausages are either linguiça or its spicy hot sister, chorizo. Both have a very different texture than kielbasa. They are meatier and more chewy. The spices are entirely different.

Nonetheless, the soup was tasty and in some way was reminiscent of Portuguese soups. But really, it  was "Portuguese Inspired Soup."

Even up here in the North Woods, you just never know when you will come across a real Portuguese person who is going to know real Portuguese soup from an imposter. So, watch out!