Maranho, a Portuguese delicacy for adventurous stomachs!

Certainly not for everyone, this dish is a staple of Portuguese regional gastronomy.

It started has a dish only served in special events or occasions, like weddings or villages celebrations. Traditionally was an ingredient added to the Portuguese stew, but now a days has become a staple on it´s own, making several Portuguese locals hitting the road every weekend to taste this delicacy. It sure should be a mention on a recent Hostelworld.com article about 50 bizarre foods around the world.

What is Maranho?

Maranho is a popular Portuguese dish made from Goat, rice and ham. Basically it´s a “bag” made out of goat stomach and filled with rice, goat meat and ham. The meat is usually seasoned with mint, parsley and sweet paprika powder.

Sertã – The place to go for Maranho

Roman bridge over the Sertã stream

It is original from the region of Proença-a-nova, but now a days, it´s in Sertã that you can get the best Maranho. Also known in town as molhinhos, borlhões ou burunhões. Located at Castelo Branco district, it belongs to the Beira Baixa province. A province with a rich gastronomy culture.

How to prepare Maranho

We´re pretty sure that you’re the adventurer´s type, but a goat stomach it´s not such an easy thing to find around these days. We would recommend you search for an already prepared Maranho. You can easily get one while on Sertã (obviously), or if you around Lisbon or Porto just head for a El Corte Inglês shop. They always carry it! Just boil it water for 15 minutes with a bit of mint, and it´s ready to go!

Go for more “standard” recipes and discover Portuguese Gastronomy

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If you don´t feel like going on the extreme gastronomy, just sign up for one of our hands-on Portuguese cooking classes
where you can learn more about portuguese gastronmy and how to prepare traditional dishes.