Food Notes: 7/21 Portuguese Kale Soup
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We’re out on Cape Cod, so naturally I cooked up some Portuguese Kale soup.
The Portuguese were eating kale long before it was trendy. But much like chicken parm in Italy, Cape Cod’s Portuguese Kale Soup is hard to find in Portugal.
The original version in Portugal is known as Caldo Verde, the green broth soup. Linguiça and potatoes are more of accent to the flavors than the Americanized soup where these ingredients are part of the collaboration. In Portugal, the soup is really about the leafy green.
John Fitzgerald, writing at the Provincetown Independent, explains how he was surprised he couldn’t find kale soup in Lisbon, but he did track down Caldo Verde in the north of the country. He declared it “almost surely the original version,” of what is served on the Cape.
Domestic variations of the soup are often filled with whatever root vegetables are on hand. Some people add legumes, others use different styles of sausages. I’m surprised I haven’t come across a recipe featuring an Eastham turnip.
But how did Portuguese Kale Soup arrive on Cape Cod, you might be asking?
Portuguese immigrants have long been part of the Cape’s culture. The Provincetown Independent notes that by the 1855 census, they represented 2.5% of the towns population. And by 1895, that had jumped to 21%. These immigrants arrived for whaling and then fishing, and then they set down roots. Portuguese immigrants also settled in Falmouth and Martha’s Vineyard for the same reasons.
Each summer, Provincetown celebrates Portuguese heritage with a blessing of the fleet and a Portuguese festival. The Portuguese legacy can be seen throughout the community. Portugal’s flag flies alongside rainbow flags throughout the season. The Portuguese Bakery sells Malasada, fried dough, and custard tarts. And of course, Portuguese Kale Soup is pervasive on restaurant menus.
Portuguese culinary influences have have been integrated into the cuisine of the outer cape since the mid-20th Century. Gail Blakely at OnCape Magazine breaks down some of the cookbooks that go back to the 1950s featuring those Portuguese cooking traditions.
Kale soup is something of a misnomer on the Cape. While kale is part of the recipe, the stronger flavor today is typically the linguica sausage. The pork sausage is seasoned with onion, garlic, and paprika, and usually is smoked. I think of it as a spicy Kielbasa. The flavor is strong and dominates the soup. I would hypothesize that in the same way Italian immigrants arriving in America found an abundance of food, and reinvented cucina povera into a rich, meaty cuisine, the same evolution happened with kale soup. Meat became less expensive, more accessible, and now in the United States, has become the dominate flavor in this otherwise hearty peasant soup.
Many restaurants on the outer Cape have their own variation of kale soup, like PJ’s, the mid-century family restaurant in Wellfleet, or mainstays like The Lobster Pot and The Mayflower in Provincetown. It’s a dish that’s widely available, and all slightly different. So naturally I cooked up my own.
Cape Cod Style Portuguese Kale Soup (Ian’s Version)
INGREDIENTS
1 onion
Two big carrots
1 bunch of Kale
2 linguica links
5 to 8 small potatoes
garlic
Chicken broth
olive oil
Half a bag of brown beans from Rancho Gordo
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook those beans
Finely dice the onions and garlic
Simmer onions in oil until translucent
Add medallions of carrot
Add chunks of potato
Chop kale and add to pot
Slice sausage into medallions
Check your beans. They still aren’t done, are they?
Simmer the soup ingredients
Add the broth and bring to boil
Season with salt and pepper
Check the beans. If they are cooked, add them to the soup. A little bean water can help with flavor and color
If beans are uncooked, now is a good time to turn down the soup and let it rest while you wait for the beans.
Cook the soup on a gentle boil for about 10 to 15 minutes
Serve with crusty bread and parmigiana cheese
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