temperada

Temperada is a feminine form of the past participle of temperar in Portuguese, used primarily as an adjective to describe food that has been seasoned. It is common in culinary contexts to indicate that ingredients have been flavored with salt, herbs, spices, oils, or marinades, enhancing flavor or tenderness. Examples include carne temperada, peixe temperado, or legumes temperados.

The term is frequently found in Brazilian Portuguese as well as in European Portuguese recipes and menus. In everyday usage, temperar denotes the act of seasoning, and temperada can appear in phrases such as carne temperada or legumes temperados, often followed by the specific seasonings (por exemplo, temperada com alho, pimenta, limão, ou ervas).

Etymologically, temperada derives from temperar, which in turn comes from Latin temperare, with meanings related to mixing in proper proportion, moderating, or adjusting. While temperar also has a metallurgical sense in some languages, the feminine participle temperada in Portuguese is primarily tied to culinary contexts rather than technical uses.

In addition to describing prepared foods, temperada can appear in instructional text, indicating that an ingredient should be seasoned before cooking. It is sometimes used in a broader sense to imply a state of flavoring or readiness due to seasoning, rather than a separate operation.

Related terms include tempero (seasoning or flavoring), temperar (to season or to temper), and temperamento (temperament). The word remains a common descriptor in cookbooks, recipe blogs, and menus when referring to seasoned ingredients.