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Portuguese Tenpura? at Uncle Ken's Corner Table
Aloha All!
11/6/08 - Does anyone recall what the Treaty of Tordesillas was? I didn't think so. But if you recall your high school history lesson, back in 1493 just a year after Columbus "discovered" the New World, there was a scramble among European nations to send out explorers to "claim" their piece of New World territory. There was outright disagreement between the two most prominent exploring countries, Spain and Portugal. Being Catholic countries, they went to Pope Alexander VI, who settled the issue by dividing the world into two major segments, giving one half to Spain and one half to Portugal. Spain and Portugal were authorized to explore and claim lands in their designated spheres, except for lands which were already claimed by other Christian countries, mainly France and England.
The Treaty of Tordesillas which was signed the following year by Spain and Portugal drew a line down the Atlantic Ocean, giving Spain the rights to continents and islands West of that line, and Portugal the rights to continents and islands East of that line. It's called The Line of Demarcation, and it essentially gave Spain the rights to North and South America and the Caribbean Islands westward to the Pacific Ocean, and Portugal got Africa and Asia and the offshore islands of Asia. Portugal also got the eastern tip of South American because of the way the Line was drawn. That tip is today, Brazil, the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas.
Because of that Treaty, Spanish explorers laid claim to the Americas (South and Central America, parts of the western U.S. today, and most of the Caribbean Islands) and Pacific Islands such as the Marianas, including Guam. On the other hand, it was Portuguese Catholic missionaries and explorers who laid claim to and settled in large coastal areas of Africa and Asia. And that explains why it was Portuguese Jesuit Missionaries and traders (rather than Spanish explorers) who first entered and settled in the Japanese port city of Nagasaki, since Japan was considered within Portugal's sphere according to the Treaty.
The Portuguese brought with them, many food items and introduced them to the local Japanese residents. We previously discussed the introduction of the Bobora or Kabocha Pumpkin (or Squash) by the Portuguese to Japan. But the Portuguese also introduced baked breads and cakes. Their bread was called Pćo (pronounced pan). Therefore, much of the Japanese "pan" foods owe their origins to the Portuguese: such items as "Anpan",i.e., a sweet bread pastry with a sweet bean paste filling and "Pćo de Castella" or Castella Sponge Cake, very popular in Southern Japan. The word, "Panko" also comes from the root Portuguese word for bread, together with "-ko" meaning small or child or tiny pieces. Therefore, panko means small pieces or tiny pieces of bread.
But I think the Japanese food which will surprise you the most as being Portuguese in origin is "Tempura". Yup, tempura originated with the Portuguese. At the time of its introduction, the Japanese did not have any techniques or recipes for "deep frying" foods in oil. That cooking technique was introduced by the Portuguese in the middle of the 1500's. It involved dipping fish and other seafood, and vegetables in a batter and deep frying them. It gave the fried food a delightfully crisp coating.
Doesn't look Portuguese to me! Shrimp tempura from Kyoto Ohsho, at the Ala Moana Shopping Center.
The word, "Tempura" is derived from the Portuguese word, Tempora, which in Catholic countries was called quattuor tempora or Ember Days. It referred to the period of time or holy days when Catholics were required to abstain from meat, and to eat fish and vegetables, such as during the Lenten period and on Fridays. To this day, Japanese Tempura is made mainly of Shrimp and Fish, and various vegetables such as string beans, kabocha, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, carrots, gobo (burdock), sweet potato, broccoli and onions.
In Japan today, other foods such as various fishcakes are also deep-fried and referred to as tempura. Tempura is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. It is often used in combination with rice or noodles to form a dish where the tempura is served over a bowl of rice or over hot noodle soup. And in a new take on sushi, sushi rolls are sometimes dipped in batter and deep fried, and then sliced and served as "tempura sushi", giving the sushi a crispy coating.
So the next time you place an order for Shrimp Tempura or any variety of Tempura at your local Japanese Restaurant, give thanks to the Portuguese who introduced the deep frying technique to Japan and to the Japanese who refined tempura to a fine culinary art.
And that's it from the Corner table.
UNCLE KEN
