Rojões à moda do Minho

The story

Rojões are chunks of pork, cut with their fat, marinated in white wine and garlic and then browned and braised in lard until they are crisp at the edges and tender inside. They belong to northern Portugal, where raising a pig and slaughtering it at the right moment is a deeply rooted custom. After the matança, the family pig slaughter, rojões were one way of turning the fresh meat into hearty meals that would carry a household through the hardest days. In the Minho the marinade gets cumin, paprika and bay leaf, or the red pepper paste called massa de pimentão, and the pork cooks in lard and its own reduced marinade. Around Porto the same pork comes with floured, fried pork tripe and slices of cooked pig's blood, and some cooks pour in white or red Port instead of white wine. Everywhere the plate is finished with cubes of fried potato, often with pickles, olives, chopped parsley and lemon. Nobody dates the dish; Portuguese writers call its origin uncertain in both time and place, and recipes simply describe it as old. Marinate the pork the night before and dinner takes about an hour and a half; a green salad or sautéed greens is all it needs.