Prove Portugal

Many of the most important fish recipes of the country can be found in the fishing towns of Aveiro, Peniche or Nazaré, always known for the fish bought from its ports. As we go a little further to the inner part of the country we discover theBairrada suckling pig. History says that travelers have been making their stops since the XIXth century in the region of Mealhada so that they could eat the famous suckling pig, paired with fine regional wines.

Chanfana(lamb) is another typical recipe from the Central region. Cooked in black terracotta casserole dishes, its main ingredients are goat’s meat and red wine. After four slow hours of cooking at mild temperatures, you will be able to feel the delightful taste of this humble origin dish.

You also have to try theOvos Moles de Aveiro: a famous confectionary product, made from eggs and sugar and which had its origins in convent bakers. The egg dough, of a magnificient texture, is wraped by a very thin laywer of communion wafer assuming shell-like shapes that are alusive to the several shell types you can find in this region.

The cheeses are another specialty from the Beirã region that you do not want to miss. Amongst these, we have the most international of our cheeses, the Serra da Estrela DOP Cheese, commonly known as Queijo da Serra. This is a cured cheese, with a half-soft paste, white or slightly yellow. It is made from milk from several breeds of goats (Bordaleira, Serra da Estrela and/or Churra Mondegueira) and curdled by the cardoon flower (Cynara cardunculus L.), a region’s native plant. It is probably Portugal’s best cheese. Manufactured in winter, the success of its making depended, in the old days, upon the temperature of the hands of the women who made it in the cold granitic houses, so typical of the region’s architecture.

Other cheeses like Rabaçal, Castelo Branco and Beira Baixa, yellow or spicy, are also worthy of note.

The region’s valleys are traditionally fruit areas. The cherrys, of places like Cova da Beira are considered an ex-libris.

The salt production is still in full in the Aveiro region. The majority of salt pans are located in islands and the whole extraction process keeps on being done according to traditional methods.