Sampling Portugal

Portugal is a tiny island with a rich cultural background, heavily spiced with influences from different countries due to their many colonisations. In fact, Portugal has been colonised by more countries than nearly any other island, a contributing factor to their diverse culture.

But the word I am looking at here is spiced. Portugal features some of the richest, most delicious and most interesting recipes on the planet and as a food connoisseur I can’t resist a single delicious mouthful.

Portuguese food is similar to Spanish food with Mediterranean and Indian influences. The cuisine is unique to the world which is probably one of the reasons why I love it so much. Traditional ingredients include meat, fish, olive oil, tomatoes, cheeses, breads and shellfish sauces (ingredients are actually similar to both Mediterranean and Spanish dishes). However, the main distinction of Portuguese food is that they spice their food with herbs and spices commonly associated with the Middle East.

Breakfast starts out with a simplicity that I love. A bread roll with homemade cheese, jam or even plain butter, European in style, it resembles nothing quite as much as a typical Dutch breakfast.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by michael clarke stuff

From a simple breakfast, you move on to soup. If you know anything about Portuguese food, you know soup is important. It is served with lunch, dinner and if it’s cold enough, with breakfast as well. You can’t get enough of soups and Portuguese soups are rich in flavour and texture. Lunch is a light version of dinner and dinner can be anything from roasted lamb, grilled suckling pig to any Portugal’s famous fish and especially cod. All seasoned with an incredible array of spices of course.

And now the point, each day hundreds if not thousands of tourists flock to Portugal to enjoy the sunny weather, beaches and the music. A good 60% of them don’t even try the food.

It completely puzzles me (being a person who will go to a restaurant and order anything that I can’t pronounce) to see anyone going to explore a culture and completely missing out on the food. Sure McDonalds is cheap and sure it’s easier to stop by the grocery store or a restaurant chain you know to buy familiar foods, but you are literally missing out on the best part of Portugal.

Portuguese food is possibly the most unique cuisine in the world. It’s delicious, laden with flavour, mostly healthy and can be quite affordable if you go to the right places. Or if you’re on a budget you can take my cue and find recipes and make it yourself! Portuguese food is relatively simple to make so long as you have basic cooking skill and patience (it takes lots of patience).

If you ask me, traveling to a sunny location such as Vale Do Lobo should involve trying the food. If you’ve been to Portugal and stayed at a villa, you shouldn’t leave without knowing what Codieau a Portugesa (chunky stew), Enchidos (a type of sausage) or francesinha (A rather interesting dish of tripe, lungs and liver, not for the weak of stomach).

Traveling to anywhere should be an experience that takes in all aspects of the culture, food, architecture and… white sandy beaches.

But you don’t have to travel to enjoy food which is one of the reasons why I love it. Trying a culture is as easy as trying the food. It expresses the history, the influences and the location of an area and can teach you a lot about a country before you ever travel there.

If you’re planning to go to Portugal, staying at Vale do Lobo Villas is a great way to enjoy the luxury side of the island. All you have to do is show up, visit the beach and remember to try the food!

Tags: bread roll, breads, dutch breakfast, flavour, food connoisseur, herbs and spices, homemade cheese, lunch dinner, michael clarke, mouthful, portuguese food, roasted lamb, spanish dishes, spanish food, suckling pig, sunny weather, tiny island, tourists flock, traditional ingredients

Category: Portugal