When the Portuguese arrived in Hawaii in the late 1800s to work on plantations, they brought delicious food with them. Since then Portuguese bean soup, sausage, malasadas and pao doce, or sweet bread, have become popular.

Pickled pork is one of the most traditional and special Portuguese offerings. Each family has its own recipe to serve on such occasions as Christmas, New Year’s, Easter and other family celebrations.

The dish is pronounced “VEE-nah dosh,” and it is spelled various ways. It’s written as “vinha d’alhos” in most of the country, though in the Azore Islands it’s spelled “vina dosh.” Either way, the name translates into “wine and garlic marinade,” likely referencing what may have been two original ingredients.

For Keith Vieira’s family in Hilo, it was made for almost every gathering. He remembers returning from college and his grandmother making vinha d’alhos, Portuguese sweet bread and runny eggs as a welcome-home breakfast.

Although Vieira’s wife, Jo Anne, has the Portuguese maiden name Andrade, her mother didn’t make pickled pork because she was Japanese, so Jo Anne learned to make the dish the Vieira family way.

“Their family version is fried until it is dark brown and crispy before serving it, so it is called ‘torresmos,’ or crispy vinha d’alhos,” Jo Anne said. “It is braised, then fried, which is opposite of what is common in American cooking.”

The recipe delivers richly flavored pork, with cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper providing powerful pops of spice. The crisp bits of pork make for a memorable sandwich with sweet bread.

This dish is not difficult, but requires planning, as it takes three days to make properly. Pork shoulder is cut into chunks and thoroughly rubbed with a good amount of spices. Then the pieces are marinated in a mix of salt, vinegar, garlic and bay leaves. Over three days the pork is massaged twice a day and cured in the refrigerator so flavors are locked in.

After the long soak the meat is braised in the original marinade on the stove or in the oven. To finish, it is fried, usually in a cast iron skillet, until the meat is dark brown and crisp. “The little crispy pieces we call ‘crumbs,’ and that’s our favorite part of the dish,” said Jo Anne.

Like many old-fashioned foods, the recipe was probably invented to preserve the precious meat.

Long ago the pork was marinated unrefrigerated with vinegar or wine, salt and spices, which preserved it for months. Fat from the dish was kept. Keith says his family used it to fry other food — stretching the usefulness of the pork.

Jo Anne recommends that you try this recipe, then adapt it to your tastes. If you like even stronger flavor, toast the spices before rubbing them into the meat.

Keith remembers the marinade being used as a common flavoring for other proteins such as aku (skipjack tuna), which was plentiful in Hilo when he was growing up. Now some families pickle turkey, chicken and beef.

“Since it is a rich dish, it is good with rice,” Jo Anne says.

But her husband begs to differ.

“Never,” says Keith. “You never eat it with rice. You have to eat it with Portuguese sweet bread!”

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The Vieira’s Torresmos Vinha d’Alhos

(Portuguese Crispy Pickled Pork)

• 4 pound pork butt or shoulder, cut into 2-inch squares
• >> Marinade:
• 1-1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons alae salt
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 to 3 Hawaiian chili peppers, roughly chopped
• 3 to 4 bay leaves
• >> Dry rub:
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Cut pork into chunks. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix marinade and let sit at least 5 minutes, until salt dissolves. In a large bowl, mix the dry rub ingredients thoroughly, then add pork pieces. Massage the dry rub into the meat, until no spices are left. Put meat in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Add marinade, remove air from the bag and seal. Place in a bowl or tray in case of leaks and refrigerate for 3 days. Twice a day, massage the pork and turn it over.

On the last day, put the pork and all the liquid into a heavy pot such as a Dutch oven, and simmer for about 2-1/2 hours, or until most of the liquid is reduced and the meat is tender. Do not skim fat. Cool.

(Alternatively, put meat into roasting pan. Add all liquid plus 1/2 cup water. Seal with foil and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, or until tender. Using this method will keep the pieces of pork intact and give you a mellower flavor.)

Store pork in fridge or freezer until ready to eat. If stored in a vacuum-sealed package, it will keep up to 6 months.

When ready to eat, heat pork in a sauce pan (cast iron preferred) until all the liquid is gone and the meat turns crispy and dark brown. No oil is necessary. Enjoy served with Portuguese sweet bread. Serves 16.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 160 calories, 7 g total fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 1,400 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 22 g protein

Lynette Lo Tom, author of “The Chinese Kitchen,” is fascinated by old-fashioned foods. Contact her at 275-3004 or via instagram at brightlightcookery. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.