Go Ahead‘s Director of Customer Relations Kathryn Bucchere has seen a lot of the world in her time serving Go Ahead’s travelers. She’s been to Austria, Germany, Egypt, Japan and Greece, but the tastes of Portugal stand out in her mind. Portuguese cuisine is hearty, full of flavor and reflects the influences of the many cultures that once comprised the Portuguese Empire. Caldo Verde is something like a national soup, and seafood factors prominently in the diet of a nation whose ships once sailed further than any other’s, but Kathryn found that the Portuguese have quite a sweet tooth! Kathryn traveled to Portugal on Go Ahead’s Lisbon, Seville & Madrid tour, and she shares with us her three favorite flavors from Portugal.
Pasteis de nata
The original pasteis de nata, known locally as pasteis de belem, in Lisbon. The container in the bottom left holds powdered sugar.
“Pasteis de nata” translates loosely to “egg tart pastries,” which is an accurate description of these rich, flaky indulgences. Legend has it that the recipe was a closely guarded secret of the Catholic nuns inside Lisbon’s famous Jeronimos Monastery until the monastery was closed in the 1820s. The pastries appeared shortly thereafter in the shops and carts around the nearby Belem Tower, and today, many Portuguese refer to the confections as “pasteis de Belem.” The tasty treats are sprinkled with cinnamon or sugar, and Kathryn recommends the bakeries near the Jeronimos Monastery for the most authentic versions of this beloved dessert.
Port
A glass of cask-aged tawny port.
Port is perhaps Portugal’s best-known export. This fortified wine hails from the Douro Valley in the country’s north, and it first reached world markets from the quays of Porto, a city known to the Romans as Portus Cale, a placename that provides the basis for the modern name Portugal. Port starts off like any other wine, with smashed grapes fermenting in a vat, but the wine takes on its distinct flavor—and its alcoholic punch—when a grain spirit known as aguardente (“burning water” in Portuguese) is mixed in. The aguardente stops the fermentation process and saves some of the grapes’ sugars from turning into alcohol; these sugars in turn help make the added grain alcohol palatable. The concoction is then left to age in either airtight bottles or more porous oak casks, yielding very different results depending on the method. Port is ubiquitous throughout Portugal and acts as a well-loved digestif after most meals.
Ginjinha
Made with sour cherries, ginjinha is served in a shot glass with a piece of fruit at the bottom.
This sour cherry liqueur is little-known outside Portugal, but Kathryn and her fellow travelers liked it so much that most of them brought a bottle home! As with port, aguardente plays a role in the creation of ginjinha. As the story goes, a friar accidentally left sour cherries in some aguardente, so he added some sugar, water and cinnamon in an attempt to salvage the liquor. The mixture was a huge success, and today, ginjinha is a favorite cordial in Lisbon. Ginjinha is typically served in a shot glass with a piece of fruit on the bottom, but in the northern town of Obidos, the drink is often presented in a small, edible chocolate cup. Kathryn recommends that travelers seek out one of the Ginjinha barsscattered around Lisbon’s Baxia neighborhood to rub elbows with the locals and gain an authentic of this Portuguese favorite.
Does Portuguese cuisine ever find its way to your table? Have you been to Portugal, and if so, what was your favorite food? We’d love to know how the culinary traditions of Portugal have expanded your tastes, so leave a comment and let us know!
