Cafreal
Chicken marinated in a bright green paste of coriander, green chilli, garlic, ginger, spice and lime or vinegar, then pan-fried until charred at the edges.
What makes it cafreal
- A green masala: coriander, green chilli, garlic and ginger.
- Whole spices — pepper, clove, cinnamon — ground in with lime juice or vinegar.
- Marinated for hours, then fried or roasted until dry and charred.
Where it comes from
Usually said to have come to Goa with African soldiers serving in the Portuguese forces, from Portugal's colonies in Mozambique, and to share roots with the piri-piri chicken of that coast. The name is usually traced to cafre, an old Portuguese word for Africans that is now considered offensive.
In Goa it became a tavern and feast dish, served with fried potatoes, salad and bread, and a squeeze of lime.
Be the first here
Start your own cafrealNo one here has made cafreal yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.
Near it
GoanXacutiChicken or mutton in a dark, complex sauce of grated coconut and a long list of whole spices, all roasted until brown and ground together.No one here has made it yet
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PunjabiTandoori chickenChicken on the bone, marinated in yoghurt, lemon and spice, then roasted fast in the fierce heat of a clay tandoor.No one here has made it yet