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Açorda with garlic, served with fresh cilantro and sesame seeds
Açorda with garlic, appetizing Portuguese soup

Portuguese Bread Soup (Açorda Alentejana)

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Vegetarian & Vegan Dishes Soups
Açorda Alentejana celebrates the genius of Portuguese 'cucina povera'. In the Alentejo region, stale bread was never wasted but revived with hot water flavored with cilantro, garlic, and olive oil. This isn't a classic soup but rather a bread porridge, where a poached egg yolk adds creaminess. A triumph of simplicity.
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 10 mins
⌛ Total Time 25 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 320 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Portuguese

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Mortar (for best results) or chopper
  • Large serving bowl
  • Pot for boiling water

Allergen Information

⚠️ Wheat
⚠️ Egg
⚠️ Sesame

Instructions

1 ✓

Make the 'Piso' (base): crush the garlic, cilantro (stems too!), and salt into a paste in a mortar. Once done, mix in the olive oil.

Tip: Crushing in a mortar breaks cell walls, creating an emulsion with the oil. This green paste is the soul of the dish.
2 ✓

Boil the water. When bubbling, gently crack in the eggs and poach for 3 minutes until whites set but yolks remain runny. Remove eggs.

Tip: Add a drop of vinegar to the water to help the egg whites hold together.
3 ✓

Pour the hot water (used for eggs) over the garlic-cilantro paste in a large bowl and stir. This creates the broth.

Tip: We don't cook the garlic and cilantro! The hot water just scalds them, preserving their fresh flavor.
4 ✓

Tear the bread into large chunks and place in bowls. Ladle the hot green broth over it.

Tip: Let sit for a minute so the bread soaks it up but the crust retains bite.
5 ✓

Top with eggs and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Stir the egg into the soup before eating.

Tip: The runny yolk emulsifies the soup, turning the water into a creamy sauce.

Recipe FAQ

What bread should I use?
Sourdough, thick-crusted, stale rustic bread is best. Soft, sliced sandwich bread turns into mush and won't hold structure.
Do I boil the egg in it?
Traditionally, eggs are poached in the hot broth separately, then mixed into the soup in the bowl.

Ingredients

  • 10 oz Stale Rustic White Bread (Sourdough)
  • 5 cloves Garlic
  • 1 large bunch Fresh Cilantro (stems included)
  • 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 5 cups Water (or stock)
  • 2 whole Eggs
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Sesame Seeds (optional garnish)