Broa de Avintes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Broa de Avintes, a rye bread traditionally made in Northern Portugal. | |
| Alternative names | Boroa de Avintes |
|---|---|
| Type | bread |
| Place of origin | Portugal |
| Region or state | Avintes |
| Associated cuisine | Portugal |
| Invented | ca. 16th century |
| Cooking time | |
| Serving temperature | hot or cold |
| Main ingredients | corn and rye flour |
Broa de Avintes or Boroa de Avintes (locally) is a type of broa from Avintes, Vila Nova de Gaia with a long tradition in the north of Portugal. It is a dark brown, very dense bread made with maize and rye flours, with a distinctive and intense bittersweet flavour.
"The word broa is believed to originate either from the Suebian or Gothic brauth, meaning 'bread', or from Celtic roots such as bron or bara, though some scholars argue for a pre-Roman origin, as evidenced by similar terms like Spanish borona, Galician boroa, and Asturian borona."[1][2][3]
This type of bread existed in Gallaecia at least since Suebian times. Prior to the addition of maize to the mixture, the main ingredients of broa were rye and malt. After maize was introduced in Europe from the Americas, "broa" became widely associated with "maize bread".[citation needed]
Broa has been produced in Avintes since the 13th century, when King Dinis of Portugal awarded the village with the exclusive right of production and supply to the population in Porto.[4] However, the earliest record of the production of the Avintes variety only dates back to 1563.[5]
Nowadays, the bread of Avintes is also produced outside its original parish with industrial source materials The old mills of Avintes no longer have economic relevance. However, for the sake of tradition, the people of Avintes have maintained its crafty production, which is well appreciated by consumers who increasingly seek genuinely traditional products.[citation needed] Since 1989, the parish of Avintes organizes a yearly celebration, Festa da Broa (Party of Broa) and since 1997 there has been a confraria (brotherhood) dedicated to it.[4][5]
