Sofrito: The 700-Year-Old Secret Behind Portuguese Cooking- authentic Lisbon experiences

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I am sorry it took this long to write a new post, even though I had promised myself-and you-that I would. Life always comes with surprises. But I didn’t come empty-handed this time: we have not only a story but also a recipe!

We, as Turks, are famous for our zeytinyağlı, which we can translate as “olive oil dishes.” You usually know them as mezes. They are vegetable and olive oil-based dishes, generally eaten cold. While the taste always changes with the vegetables or fresh herbs used for seasoning, the base is always the same: garlic, tomato, and onion. We even joke with friends about how simple all our dishes are sometimes.

But I didn’t know that this basic sauce has a name across the entire Mediterranean area and that it changes with each country-even influencing Latin American countries like Puerto Rico!

Here we go: meet Sofrito-Refogado.

The dictionary defines sofrito as a mixture of lightly fried onions and garlic, usually with tomatoes and other vegetables, used as a base for soups and stews. When you know the basics of this sauce, you can cook almost all of the traditional dishes of Turkish, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish cuisine.

The word “sofrito” comes from the Spanish verb “sofreír,” which means “to stir-fry.”

Most people who read these lines will smile because they already know the variations from my cooking classes. The Portuguese version uses garlic, onions, bay leaves, olive oil, and a bit of butter. When we sail to Italian shores, we find chopped onions, carrots, and celery. In Puerto Rico, sofrito transforms into a blend of onions, peppers, garlic, culantro, and actually many other colorful variations.

The earliest mention of sofrito dates back to 1324 in a Catalan cookbook called “Libre de Sent Soví,” where it was originally made with just onion fried in oil, mostly bacon fat with herbs. Today, we’ve switched the bacon fat for butter and I prefer ghee.

Even though there is no specific name in Turkish cuisine and we mostly just call it “base sauce,” sofrito goes by different names across cultures: “sofregit” in Catalan, “estrugido” or “refogado” in Portuguese-speaking nations. In Puerto Rico, they call it “el sabor de la isla” (the flavor of the island). In the Dominican Republic, it’s known as sazón, where they use vinegar, tomatoes, and achiote.

This humble sauce connects us all across continents, proving that the best flavors often start with the simplest ingredients.

So what are the secrets of making great sofrito? A bit of patience! For me, the secret of the sauce starts with onions. Whether you mix them with garlic or bay leaves or any other herbs, the secret is sautéing them over low heat for a long time, until they get a golden color. This is the time that I regret I didn’t pay enough attention in high school chemistry classes, but with this process you are creating natural sugar molecules which will make your sauce incredible. As another must of any Mediterranean dish, quality olive oil will also be a game changer. But enough chatting, let me share 2 recipes: a Portuguese style and an Italian!

A Portuguese Style Sofrito

Chop 2 onions in julienne style and stir with olive oil. Add bay leaves and mix them occasionally until they start to get yellow, then add a tablespoon of butter/ghee. While they get almost golden, add half a glass of high quality white wine and awaken your sauce. Continue to stir until it becomes an earthy mixture.

An Italian Style Sofrito

Mince one garlic clove into your olive oil and stir a bit, then add 2 onions (cut them in diced style). Again, make the chemistry work, so wait until they go yellow. Add diced carrot and celery and continue stirring them. This is the time of decision: it actually depends on how you will use it. Add tomatoes if you want. If you add them, let the flavors blend with each other intensely, so cook 30 minutes more together.

Here is a photo: a bit Turkish, a bit Italian style Barbunya (cranberry bean) sofrito.

authentic Portuguese recipes