🇸🇹 Sao Tomean Cuisine

Pirão

Fish Flour Porridge

Prep Time 5 min
Servings 4
Difficulty Medium
Calories 202 kcal

A thick, smooth porridge made by stirring cassava flour into rich fish broth until it forms a stretchy, polenta-like accompaniment that absorbs sauces beautifully.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Bring fish broth to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan.
  2. 2 Add palm oil and salt.
  3. 3 Reduce heat to medium. Gradually sprinkle in cassava flour while stirring vigorously.
  4. 4 Stir continuously for 8-10 min until the mixture is very thick, smooth, and pulls away from the sides.
  5. 5 Shape into mounds on plates or serve in a communal bowl alongside fish stew.

Did You Know?

The mark of a skilled Sao Tomean cook is a lump-free pirao — it takes years of practice to add the flour at exactly the right speed while stirring.