“The tomato soup you are having now was made in the same way Francisco Borges Henriques used to make it in the 18th century. His manuscript is the first cookbook in Portugal where the tomato is already introduced in the recipes”.
This is part of the talks ReSEED Researcher Anabela Ramos had at different tables with diverse groups in the “Caves do Conde” restaurant in Coimbra downtown. The menu served on September 24th, 2021, was specially designed for the European Researchers’ Night, encouraged by the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research (University of Coimbra). The dishes were chosen among the hundreds of recipes written by Borges Henriques 300 years ago. His manuscript was transcribed and published for the first time by the ReSEED project team in 2020.
The challenge had already been launched (2019-2020) to the future chefs of the Master in Innovation in Science and Culinary Arts from the Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies (ESHTE). At “Caves do Conde”, it reached the Coimbra community. A dinner with history, gastronomy, agriculture, economy. A transdisciplinary meal!
Anabela Ramos appreciated the experience. “From children to the elderly, it was rewarding to see people’s interest in the research. They wanted to know more about culinary heritages. The fact that there were already regional dishes in the book, mentioning especially Coimbra, was one of the aspects they liked the most”.
“From manuscript to the table: 18th-century fusion cuisine”: special menu at Caves do Conde restaurant in Coimbra for the European Researchers’ Night.
Vegetable garden: secrets and notices from the 18th century
At about the same time Borges Henriques was writing his cookbook, João António Garrido worked on one of the first books with agricultural instructions printed in Portuguese. It was published in 1749. Following the trend of the time, rather than a treatise on agriculture, the author tries to include (almost) everything related to plants, seeds, fruit, and also advice on pharmacy, health and other topics. He is very specific about how to cultivate different seeds and gives indications that can still be useful today. This is why the ReSEED team is working on a new edition of the book to be launched by the end of 2021.
Most people can recognize vegetables and fruit when buying or eating them. But few ones know the seed that originated the food. Based on the book, the ReSEED Team brought to the European Researchers’ Night at the Pavilion of Knowledge (Ciência Viva), in Lisbon, a calendar with Garrido instructions. His “secrets” and notices were shared with the community. Dozens of people were offered different seeds to be sowed in the next months following the advice.
“Making a vegetable garden: secrets and notices from the 18th century”: focus on seeds’ cultivation at the Pavilion of Knowledge, as part of the European Researchers’ Night in Lisbon.
Information, questions, surprises: an essential interaction for both the general public and researchers. “This direct contact with the community is key for ReSEED. Seeds are treasures protected by cultivation. Our work is definitely more valuable when it is possible to be shared with different publics. Each vegetable garden matters when it comes to preserving the biodiversity, and historical knowledge is contributing to this goal” summed up Principal Investigator Dulce Freire.
