Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

Migas (Spanish dish)

English translation:

ancient / traditional sauteed breadcrumbs with pork / fowl / leftovers

Added to glossary by MPGS
Dec 13, 2004 18:23
19 yrs ago
11 viewers *
Spanish term

Migas (Spanish dish)

Spanish to English Other Cooking / Culinary
Hi!

Could anyone suggest me how to translate the Spanish dish migas into English? I have found something like 'sauteed breadcrumbs with sausage' but I am not too sure. I would be pleased if you could reply to my email: [email protected]

Thank you!!!

Proposed translations

9 mins
Selected

ancient / traditional sauteed breadcrumbs with pork / fowl / leftovers

Didn't necessarily involve sausages, or even meat. During long periods of famine / malnutrition / bad habits, bread (+ some fat + spices) was used as a 'filler' for whatever additional protein on hand.


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Note added at 10 days (2004-12-24 13:44:34 GMT) Post-grading
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Gracias. Felicidades.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+1
10 mins

see

this is from a time life cookbook of Spain and Portugal 1969

Migas
a national Spanish dish with regional variants throughout the Peninsula.
Migas are fried bread chinks, referred to in English by the French word croutons, which does not do justice in either language to the dish that isprepared in Spain. It is said that migas constitute the most ancient dish in the whole Peninsula, tracing back to early Iberian or Celtiberian cooking.
That is the way migas are prepared in Aragon today, from two-day-old bread that has been cut or broken into very small chunks about the size of chick-peas and soaked overnight in a wet, salted cloth. In the morning, garlic is heated in oil and then discarded and the migas are dropped in the oil. Bits of ham are sometimes added and the bread is left to brown until it is the color of rust. Migas are eaten in all of Spain with almost anything from fired eggplant to hot chocolate.


migas de pastor
1 lb/500g stale Spanish white bread
Salt
6 Tbsp lard or olive oil
1-1/4 C / 150g diced bacon
4 cloves of garlic, sliced

Dice the bread the day before you want to use it. Place it in a bowl and sprinkle over some slightly salted water, do not let it get too wet. Mix well and leave overnight.
Heat the lard or oil in a cast-iron skillet and fry the bacon. Add the soaked bread to the skillet and turning with a wooden spoon, fry until golden.
They are often served with chilled white grapes or chorizo or other spicy sausage or fried eggs.
Peer comment(s):

agree willy paul
3992 days
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+5
1 hr

Migas

If, as I suspect, you're translating a menu, in a case like this the best option (in many cases) is to leave it as is and add the shortest description possible.

Migas are as described above, definitely. Or,

I take old bread, rub the surface with garlic, shave off slices, and repeat the processs until there are enough.

Then it's up to the chef. Slightly fried with chorizon, ham, bacon, etc....or just fat and maybe a herb or two.

To sum up, if it's a menu, I'd leave it as is, ask the restaurant the ingredients and method and try and come up with the shortest possible description.
Peer comment(s):

agree Shawn Keeney : Yes, leave the name the same, but add the short description. Sauteed breadcrumbs (with whatever) sounds appetizing enough.
2 hrs
agree Gabriel Aguirre : migas son migas. I wonder if they will ever translate "salsa" as "blended tomatoes with spices"
4 hrs
agree Virginia Parades (X)
15 hrs
agree Cristian Garcia
17 hrs
agree Ana Boadla : Leave it in Spanish. Can you translate "spaghetti", "lasagna" or "paella"?
6 days
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