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Where to eat Carne de vinha d'alhos in Funchal

Pork marinated for days in wine, garlic, bay and chilli, then fried hard and stuffed into bolo do caco. Madeira's Christmas dish, eaten at dawn outside churches through December.

The story of Carne de vinha d'alhos

Vinha d'alhos means wine and garlic, and the technique is a preservation method that predates refrigeration on the island: submerge pork in acidic wine with garlic and it keeps through the festive weeks. The dish is bound to the Missas do Parto, the early-morning masses held from mid-December to Christmas Eve, after which the meat is shared in sandwiches in the church squares alongside homemade liqueurs and carols. It is also the ancestor of Goan vindaloo, carried east by Portuguese ships.

How to make Carne de vinha d'alhos

Serves: Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg pork shoulder, cut into 4cm cubes
  • 500ml dry white wine
  • 100ml red wine vinegar
  • 10 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked
  • 2 small dried chillies
  • 2 tablespoons lard or olive oil
  • Bolo do caco, to serve

Method

  1. Pack the pork into a non-reactive bowl or crock with the garlic, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns and chillies.
  2. Pour over the wine and vinegar so the meat is fully submerged. Add a little more wine if it is not.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for 3 days, turning the meat once a day.
  4. Lift the pork out and drain it well, keeping the marinade. Pat the cubes dry on kitchen paper.
  5. Heat the lard in a heavy pan and fry the pork in batches over a high heat until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes a batch.
  6. Return everything to the pan, add 200ml of the strained marinade and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the liquid has almost gone and the meat is glazed.
  7. Serve hot, packed into split bolo do caco.

Editor tip. Drain and dry the pork properly before frying. Wet meat straight from the marinade will stew in the pan instead of browning.

The editor picks for Carne de vinha d'alhos in Funchal are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Funchal signature-dishes index or the Funchal food guide.