Ruffians & Recipes Edible Legacies of the Portuguese Explorers

The Portuguese maritime empire was the world's first truly global empire. New trade routes criss-crossed the oceans, creating a global consciousness, and rapidly spreading the flora and fauna of the New World to Europe, Asia and Africa.

Told through the exploits of the Portuguese explorers - not a few ruffians among them - this story is about the people they met along the way, and the recipes that emerged from the collision of cultures. Aproveite!

Gina Verissimo Hall and Charles Jamison Hall met in New York City in 1988 when they both worked in finance at the same bank. Three years later, they married while living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Their adventures in Brazil together ignited their shared interest in all things Portuguese.
CJ Hall met his wife, Gina Verissimo Hall, in New York City in 1988, when they both worked in finance at the same bank. His knowledge of the Portuguese language had led him that far, and the rest is history!