Migas (, ) ("crumbs" in English language) is a dish traditionally made from stale bread and other ingredients in Spanish cuisine and Portuguese cuisines. Originally introduced by , migas are very popular across the Iberian Peninsula, and are the typical breakfast of hunters at monterías in some regions of Spain.
The same name is used for a different dish made from maize or flour in Mexican cuisine and .
Iberian migas
Spanish migas
Migas is a traditional dish in
Spanish cuisine. It was originally a breakfast dish among shepherds that made use of leftover bread or
. It gained greater uptake as shepherds, cooking on small
Brazier while moving their sheep along
transhumance routes, spread the dish to rural laborers. It regained popularity during the early 20th century, and as of 2011 was sold by restaurants across Spain, and in supermarkets, vacuum-sealed and ready to be heated.
The most suitable Spanish bread for making migas is called "
Candeal bread", due to its dense and spongy crumb. Migas is usually served as a first course for lunch or dinner in restaurants in
Spain.
The ingredients of migas vary across the provinces of Spain.[ Migas extremeñas][ Migas de Teruel ] In La Mancha, migas manchegas is a more elaborate preparation using basically the same ingredients as Aragonese migas.[
]
Portuguese migas
Migas is also a traditional dish in Portuguese cuisine. It is usually made with leftover bread, either
pao Alentejano, a wheat bread traditionally associated with the
Alentejo region in Southern
Portugal, or
Cornbread as used in Beira. In Alentejo, migas can also be made with
Potato (
migas de batata) instead of bread.
Garlic and olive oil are always an ingredient. Other ingredients such as pork meat drippings, wild asparagus, tomato, and seasonings such as red pepper paste and fresh coriander are usually included in Alentejo, while in Beira, the other ingredients typically include cooked kale cut in caldo verde style, cooked Bean (pinto, black-eyed peas or kidney beans), and sometimes cooked rice.
Migas usually accompanies meats or other main dishes.
North American migas
Mexican migas
In different areas of
Mexico,
migas is a traditional breakfast dish consisting of crispy crumbled corn tortilla chips, to which scrambled eggs are mixed in. This preparation makes use of hardened corn tortillas left over from previous meals.
Chilaquiles is a similar meal with whole fried tortilla chips and salsa, where eggs or chicken are added during the cooking process. Both are hearty, inexpensive working-class breakfast meals.
Mexico City migas
Mexico City also has its own version of
migas. It is a garlic soup which is thickened with sliced day-old
bolillos (bread). It is usually flavored with pork shanks, ham bones,
epazote,
oregano and different types of dried chillies. A raw egg is usually added to each plate when served and it is slowly cooked by the warm soup, similar to egg drop soup. It is a very popular dish in fondas around downtown Mexico City, especially in
Tepito.
[ Migas del Tepito gourmet - Filemón Alonso Miranda - Urbanitas 14 de diciembre de 2008]
"A la mexicana"
There is another variation of
migas -
"migas a la mexicana" - which includes additional ingredients; diced white onion, sliced jalapeño, or
serrano pepper and diced fresh
tomato. These ingredients together represent the colors of the flag of Mexico. Green from the jalapeño or serrano, white from the onion, and red from the tomato.
Migas are typically served with refried beans, and corn or flour tortillas may be used to enfold all of the ingredients into Taco. Migas are popular in Texas.
In some areas, it may have been traditionally eaten during Lent.
See also
Bibliography
External links
