Bairro Portgues: Portugese Festival, Petersham

Last Sunday was the annual Portuguese Festival in Petersham. The air was thick with the haze of charcoal as families, couples, friends and foodies celebrated all the goodness that is Portuguese cuisine and culture.

Chicken skewers

Espetada

Cubes of rump steak are packed onto giant sword-like skewers, coated with coarse rock salt and then cooked over charcoal in this Madeiran specialty.

Goan cuisine

Goa, the smallest state in India, was of course a Portuguese colony for 500 years. There's a Goan restaurant, Viva Goa in Pyrmont which I keep meaning to check out one day.

chorizo and prawns on the bbq at the Mojo picon stall

Chorizo and prawns at the Mojo Picon stall

Sugarholic riot at the pastry stall...

Who can resist a Portuguese pasteis de nata custard tart?

Traditional Portuguese dancing

And of course there had to be chorizo

Chorizo over charcoal

Barbecued sardines

The Bairro Portugues or Portuguese Festival is an annual event which takes place around Audley Street, Petersham in Sydney's Little Portugal in the inner west.

The 2006 festival was held on Sunday 12 March.

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Petersham Portuguese Food Festival 2005

7 Comments:

At 3/19/2006 4:17 am, kachuaz said…

looks good! gonna try it when i'm over in sydney next year =P
At 3/19/2006 3:25 pm, cin said…

I really like the shot of the sardines, AG. Well done.
At 3/19/2006 4:08 pm, FooDcrazEE said…

i'm salivating over the chorizo...
At 3/20/2006 3:08 pm, Julia said…

How wonderful! I couldn't make it but I can sense all the flavours and fun through this post!

BTW, do you know if chorizo is smoked, or it's sold raw? I used to eat it without cooking it, and never got sick (but now eat it cooked).
At 3/21/2006 12:06 am, Helen (AugustusGloop) said…

Hi Kachuaz - Sydney has lots of great community festivals. Enjoy!

Hi Cin - Thanks. I'm practising on honing the photography skills =)

Hi foodcrazee - I do love chorizo, esp seared. Mmm...

Hi Julia - Ahh, my work is done! =)

Chorizo can come cooked or raw, but I presume you're talking about the firm smoked version (you would know when it's raw!).

As far as I know, many people do eat it straight. It's just like eating salami I suppose. Generally safe unless you're pregnant or have a compromised immune system. I prefer mine seared so all the fat melts so I can soak my crusty bread into it.

If I don't have access to a frying pan, I use the microwave. Cut into 1.5cm thick angled slices and nuke on a plate until sizzling (cover the plate to avoid splatter).

Jam into a crusty baguette and mop up the juices with leftover bread. Mmm... delicious....
At 5/18/2006 10:43 pm, Nuno Pires said…

These photos are awesome, thank you. Glad to know about the portuguese community in Sydney.
At 5/23/2006 9:14 am, Helen (AugustusGloop) said…

Hi Nuno - Thanks. Sydney has a fantastic multicultural flavour to it. Glad you enjoyed the photos.