Sofrito

Sofrito (Spanish pronunciation: [soˈfɾito]), or soffritto (Italian), or refogado (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁɨfuˈɣaðu], [ʁefuˈɡadu]), is a sauce used as a base in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Latin American cooking. Preparations may vary, but it typically consists of aromatic ingredients cut into small pieces and sauteed or braised in cooking oil.

In Spanish cuisine, sofrito consists of garlic, onion, paprika, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil. This is known as refogado or sometimes as estrugido in Portuguese-speaking nations, where only onions and olive oil are often essential, garlic and bay laurel leaves being the other most common ingredients.

In Brazilian cuisine, the verb refogar encompasses also dishes that are fried in vegetable oil before being e.g. boiled or steamed, even when the actual fried seasoning is not there. Similarly, rice that has been toasted in vegetable oil before it is boiled is technically refogado, even if it is consumed plain, without garlic or any other vegetable or meat addition. Actually, the Portuguese verb refogar literally means "to fire i.e. heat repeatedly".

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