Portuguese · main
Leitão à Bairrada
Leitão à Bairrada reads richness 8.3, umami 7.9 and allium 4.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Portuguese main, about 1 hr 18 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 8.2 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 2.6 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 1.9 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 1.1 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 8.4 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 4.9 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Richness 8.3 · Umami 7.9 · Allium 4.6 · Salinity 3.6 · Fruity 2.1 · Sweetness 1.7 · Citrus 1.6 · Warm Spice 1.2 · Floral 1.1 · Sourness 1.0 · Earthy 1.0 · Heat 0.9 · Bitterness 0.9 · Herbaceous 0.7
What's in it (8)
- 1 whole suckling pig (about 12 lbs)
- 1/2 cup lard
- 8 cloves garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp paprika
Time & effort: about 1 hr 18 min (33 min active) · effort: medium
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 194.4 kcal, 16.2 g protein, 13.4 g fat, 0.4 g carbs
Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (3 steps)
- Rub the piglet inside and out with a paste of lard, garlic, bay, pepper, paprika, and salt, then truss it for even roasting.
- Roast at high heat, basting with white wine, until the skin is uniformly amber and shatters like porcelain when tapped.
- Carve at the table and serve with orange slices, bread rolls, and local Bairrada sparkling wine.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Leskovački Ćevapi (Leskovac Grilled Minced Fingers) — Serbian
- Cemita Poblana de Milanesa — Mexican · Puebla
- Kholodets — Russian
- Bratwurst — German
- Libamáj (Hungarian Goose Liver / Foie Gras) — Hungarian
Keep reading: what richness, umami, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.