The doorbell rings and, on the other side, a lady, in her early 50s, opens the door with a sweet Brazilian accent and an infectious smile. From the kitchen, the smell of the dinner that begins to be prepared emanates. Not for her, but for a family drawn to receive this delicacy. They are the "Cataplanas of the World" sharing cultural identities in Faro, with this recipe as the main ingredient, the love that Euza Silva puts in everything she cooks.
The ingredients are ready for the cataplanas, but anyone who thinks that the recipe will be typically Algarve is wrong. «This recipe will be 100% Brazilian, because it will have ingredients from Brazil, but everything goes into the creation of the cook and the idea of each one», explains Euza Silva to Sul Informação.
The passion for cooking “has always been around” and, despite not having learned to cook at home, “the need led me to pick up the pots and get down to work when I went. Babysitter at age 16'.
In 2001, just over 30 years old, living with her parents and helping to raise her siblings, out of the job market and with Brazil going through a difficult period, Euza Silva decided to pack her bags and cross the Atlantic, heading towards to Portugal.
«I say that I came looking for my ideals, something better to help my parents and to have a safe haven in my old age. I came to stay for a short time and I've been here for twenty years», he confides.
After adapting to Portugal, she got a "small job" as "caretaker of a very old lady for nine years", something that she still remembers with great affection, as she admires, every day, the photograph held by a magnet, in the fridge.
It's also in the kitchen while chatting with the Sul Informação, which Euza recalls a difficult life, «with some surprises», and tells how the invitation to participate in the “Cataplanas do Mundo” arose.
«I went to Feira de Santa Iria and, passing by the stand of Faro2027, there was a girl offering gifts, but she had to respond to a challenge. Between the questions, one came up in the kitchen and I said right away that I was going to get it right, as it is one of my passions. He told me about the project that was being thought of, he invited me and I accepted to participate», he stresses.
After sharing knowledge at the table, with the right to a workshop, the cooks participating in “Cataplanas do Mundo”, among them Euza Silva, became “so involved in the project” that “they already consider themselves a group of friends and share their life stories”, says Isadora Justo, advisor of communication of Faro2027.
“Cataplanas do Mundo” is a pilot project, included in the candidacy of Faro the European Capital of Culture 2027, which is based on «gastronomy as a way for different cultures to know each other and share the same space, and we have brought this to the level of the different communities that live in the Algarve», explains Isadora Justo.
“Our history of receiving foreign residents is secular, but there is not always an effective cultural sharing. So, we decided to seat people at the same table, so to speak, and share experiences, knowledge and flavors».
The project started with the help of Tertúlia Algarvia and Associação Doina Algarve in identifying volunteer cooks, coming from all over the world. "After we had all met, we went on to a second phase, where the ladies appropriated" the Algarve cataplana and "recreated recipes with ingredients from their countries of origin", he adds.
In all, there are five cataplanas that are presented in this project, all of them made with ingredients and recipes from the respective countries of origin, namely Brazil, Romania, Pakistan, Cape Verde and Morocco. Its production began on the 18th of November, precisely with the Brazilian cataplana, and ends today, the 2nd of December, with the Moroccan.
But and who will eat these delicacies? “The cataplanas will be welcomed by people who are drawn by lot, having been decided by our five cooks. As we have some limit in terms of project costs, we can only deliver cataplans in the municipality of Faro».
Euza's cataplana is basically a Bahian moqueca, made with fish, tomato, onion, pepper, coconut milk, lemon, but it uses that utensil characteristic of the Algarve cuisine, which seems to make the aromas of this delicacy intensify. .
With the cataplana almost ready for delivery, Euza Silva says she hopes that the person selected will be very happy and like the taste a lot, as «it was cooked with a lot of love and care. The main ingredient – love – is here. Anyone who eats this cataplana will not stop and will always want to eat more».
«If later they want to call me and ask me to make another cataplana, I'll start selling them too…», says Euza Silva, between laughs.
For Isadora Justo, this is a “project done with a lot of love and sharing”. “These people are not cooking in a restaurant, but at home”, something that is to be appreciated. "When people open their hearts and their homes, it is impossible to have clashes between cultures, because everything is wrapped in good feelings."
Then comes the time for the Algarve Tertúlia, together with the Faro2027, proceed with the delivery of the cataplana to the selected family. This time, the delicacy fell to a lady from Conceição de Faro.
«The idea is: when people receive the cataplana at their home, it will be accompanied by a video of our cook sharing a little of her history and explaining why she chose these ingredients. Afterwards, the family will respond in a video about how it was to experience, taste and learn a little better about the cook's history through the food», explains the communication advisor at Faro2027.
Among the cataplanas, Euza Silva had also prepared a small snack, with Brazilian delicacies, such as fried manioc sticks, which was enjoyed by all those who filled her entertainment house, one afternoon nearing dusk: «I like people and I am very happy to have you here».
«Seeing my house invaded by all these people, from Tertúlia Algarvia, Isadora da Faro2027, and you, journalist, are being spectacular. If there are other occasions like this, why not? I am ready to receive you again. I'm very happy!” concludes Euza Silva, with a smile on her face.
Photos: Rúben Bento|Sul Informação ou Faro2027
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