Corn flour, one of the ingredients of bread.
The hearty cornbread known as broa comes from Portugal, where peasants first baked it with white or yellow cornmeal combined with wheat flour and fermented with yeast. Broa, along with the Portuguese sweet bread known as massa sovada, is the national bread of Portugal. Although broa was created in Portugal, it also became popular in the Spanish region of Galicia and in Portuguese colonies like Brazil, where locals added their own flavors, such as fennel, to traditional bread.
The more wheat flour added, the lighter the texture of the bread.
In the past, broa was eaten daily in the mountainous regions of northern Portugal, where peasants lived by raising semi-wild pigs that also ate corn. Although maize is a New World crop, its hardiness made it useful to farmers in rugged terrain, where growing wheat was difficult, if not impossible. Although American cornbread is leavened with baking soda, cornbread differs in its use of yeast. The ratio of wheat flour to corn flour can vary: the more wheat flour added, the lighter the texture of the bread. The traditional ratio is four parts cornmeal to one part stone-ground buckwheat.
Corn can be grown on land that wheat cannot.
The crust of the bread is whitish in appearance, with the inner crumb revealing a rich golden brown color. Depending on the amount of yellow and white cornmeal used in the dough, the bread itself can also vary in hue. In Portugal, the texture of broa differs from region to region, with loaves baked in the north being moister and cake-like in consistency, and those baked in the south often denser. In the Azores, a group of islands from which many Portuguese Americans come, white cornmeal is preferred over yellow cornmeal. Other cooks can add their own touches, such as adding honey or barley cereal to the recipe.
Fennel is often added to bread in Brazil.
In contemporary Portugal, cornbread often accompanies a dinner of eggs, peas, and local fish such as sardines or cod. It is usually accompanied by caldo verde, a soup made with cabbage, potatoes and chorizo. The bread also works well for making sandwiches and toast.
In winter, the healthy texture of the bread stands up well to breakfast foods. Cured hams and cheeses go well with bread. The bread is usually accompanied by fresh and light white wines from Galicia and Minho, such as Alvarinho and Vinho Verde. The bread also keeps well and can be enjoyed for days after baking.