A Portuguese and Brazilian aromatic base made from onions, garlic, and tomatoes slowly sautéed in olive oil, often including bell peppers or herbs, used as the foundation for many dishes.
From Portuguese 'refogar' meaning 'to sauté gently,' this technique traveled from Portugal to Brazil and other colonies. It represents the Portuguese approach to building flavor layers in cooking.
Refogado is the soul of Lusophone cooking - the slow cooking process creates a jammy, concentrated base that forms the backbone of everything from feijoada to seafood stews. The technique shows how Portuguese explorers adapted their cooking methods to include New World ingredients like tomatoes and peppers!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.