December 4th, 2009
Slow, tasty and local food
People from Alentejo are well known for his soft pace of life so don’t even try to rush them or yourself when you’re around. Just relax, enjoy the landscape and also the food. The Alentejo gastronomy is full of creativity and imagination. Along the coast there’s fresh delicious fish in various restaurants. But historical bread, pork and olive oil form one of the best developed regional cuisines of Portugal. The way herbs and spices are mixed to infuse countryside aromas is one of the cuisine’s highlight. Wheat is used in “migas” breadcrumbs served with pork or the stewed lamb bread dish bread “ensopado de borrego” or in the stewed bread embodying the “açorda Alentejana”. At the coastline, fish and shellfish make up very important dishes. The small fishing villages bring fresh fish daily to the local markets and restaurants… and then we’ve to smell and feel the flavor of some the best local cheese “queijo” such as Nisa or Serpa with one of the surprising Alentejo wines. The menu ends with something sweet: there were many convents in the Alentejo. Monks worked to find new ways to combine eggs with sugar and almond, bearing amazing results in the sweets and cakes. Don’t be surprised for the generosity of the portions.