Portuguese Food from the Center of Portugal
One of the most compelling and ignored cuisines in the world is Portuguese cuisine. It is full of surprising combinations, tasty ones you'd never expect, like the Alentejo's pork and clams.
In Portugal's rugged mountain territories, south and east of university town Coimbra, you find a series of villages once almost abandoned when the young went elsewhere for work more exciting than growing vegetables in the hardscrabble "valley of abundance." These villages that have now been revived.
Houses built of schist have been renovated and many turned into rental properties, mountain bike and hiking trails have been added and signposted, windmills for generating electricity sit on the high peaks and this world of mountain food, often based on hearty soups and tasty stews of lamb and goat, is ready for the traveler.
A funny thing happened while the Schist Villages were being transformed into vacation hideouts. Many of those young people brought in to learn how to restore the houses and build downhill biking trails got to liking the place. Some have bought homes in the area once again, and the place is lively and dynamic with active travelers, artists and tourists sharing the same valleys and trails--not to mention restaurants.
And the food? Well, in the next five pages we'll show you some of the mountain cuisine that we packed away while we were there. Remember, plan an active vacation and you can eat more. That's why I do it!
We'll take you through a culinary odyssey that includes Maranhos, a combination of mint, rice and lamb stuffed into a sheep stomach and cooked (you don't have to eat the stomach part they tell me), sausages made by Jewish folks to disguise the fact they weren't eating pork, to a "dirty rice" that had us salivating for more.
Maranhos
Maranhos is a type of fat sausage composed of rice, mint and lamb cooked in a casing made from the lamb stomach. It's not heavy, and I'm told you don't have to eat the stomach. It was good. Believe it or not, it's a great warm-weather food.
The Maranhos you see here was served at the Varanda do Casal Restaurant in Casal de São Simão, one of the Schist Villages. You can't miss it. Upstairs the restaurant has views of the countryside.
Downstairs you can buy local crafts and get tourist information.
Next is a typical dish throughout Portugal, Duck Rice with Orange, Arroz de Pato com Laranja
Duck Rice with Orange, Arroz de Pato com Laranja
This is a traditional Portuguese dish, served throughout the country with variations. Here it has some chorizo, and makes a good main course when you're tired of "too much" meat.
Chanfana, a Portuguese goat or lamb stew famous throughout the land
Chanfana is a traditional food found throughout Portugal. Heck, they sent the ingredients on the ships during the age of discovery. Since the lamb (or goat) is marinated in wine, it will last for a while. It's cooked in a wood fired oven in a ceramic vessel. Here Ana Quinta of Go Outdoor, an adventure and outdoor travel planning service, sits in front of a pot of Chanfana for four with potatoes. Ana took us on a very long walk so we could eat a lot.
But the Chanfana wasn't the only thing, take a look at the next dish. It was exquisite. Honest.
Yes, if you come across someone in New Orleans who makes a great "dirty rice" you've come across a treasure. This rice was made from the "offal" of the goat, the bits we don't get to eat much of in the US. The taste was out of this world. who could have guessed? It's the cuisine of the poor, who have done more for tasty cuisine throughout the world than all the Michelin starred chefs put together.
Alheira de Caça is a sausage made of game meat and bread with spices like smoked paprika. They cold smoke the sausage, giving it a very smoky taste.
The idea of Alheira comes from the Jews, who used to hide their identity by making sausages that looked and were as fatty as the ubiquitous and traditional Portuguese pork sausage.These days Alheira, with its strong, smoky taste, can be chopped up and added to bland foods like mashed potatoes to "kick them up a notch" like the chef says.
But a sausage and some greens sauteed in olive oil makes a fine starter--or even a wnole meal if you haven't walked up hills all day.
The Alheira de Caça was wonderful at the Vallecula Restaurant in Barreiros. Here is a picture of the restaurant.
One of the most compelling and ignored cuisines in the world is Portuguese cuisine. It is full of surprising combinations, tasty ones you'd never expect, like the Alentejo's pork and clams.
In Portugal's rugged mountain territories, south and east of university town Coimbra, you find a series of villages once almost abandoned when the young went elsewhere for work more exciting than growing vegetables in the hardscrabble "valley of abundance." These villages that have now been revived.
Houses built of schist have been renovated and many turned into rental properties, mountain bike and hiking trails have been added and signposted, windmills for generating electricity sit on the high peaks and this world of mountain food, often based on hearty soups and tasty stews of lamb and goat, is ready for the traveler.
A funny thing happened while the Schist Villages were being transformed into vacation hideouts. Many of those young people brought in to learn how to restore the houses and build downhill biking trails got to liking the place. Some have bought homes in the area once again, and the place is lively and dynamic with active travelers, artists and tourists sharing the same valleys and trails--not to mention restaurants.
And the food? Well, in the next five pages we'll show you some of the mountain cuisine that we packed away while we were there. Remember, plan an active vacation and you can eat more. That's why I do it!
We'll take you through a culinary odyssey that includes Maranhos, a combination of mint, rice and lamb stuffed into a sheep stomach and cooked (you don't have to eat the stomach part they tell me), sausages made by Jewish folks to disguise the fact they weren't eating pork, to a "dirty rice" that had us salivating for more.
Maranhos
Maranhos is a type of fat sausage composed of rice, mint and lamb cooked in a casing made from the lamb stomach. It's not heavy, and I'm told you don't have to eat the stomach. It was good. Believe it or not, it's a great warm-weather food.
The Maranhos you see here was served at the Varanda do Casal Restaurant in Casal de São Simão, one of the Schist Villages. You can't miss it. Upstairs the restaurant has views of the countryside.
Downstairs you can buy local crafts and get tourist information.
Next is a typical dish throughout Portugal, Duck Rice with Orange, Arroz de Pato com Laranja
Duck Rice with Orange, Arroz de Pato com Laranja
This is a traditional Portuguese dish, served throughout the country with variations. Here it has some chorizo, and makes a good main course when you're tired of "too much" meat.
Chanfana, a Portuguese goat or lamb stew famous throughout the land
Chanfana is a traditional food found throughout Portugal. Heck, they sent the ingredients on the ships during the age of discovery. Since the lamb (or goat) is marinated in wine, it will last for a while. It's cooked in a wood fired oven in a ceramic vessel. Here Ana Quinta of Go Outdoor, an adventure and outdoor travel planning service, sits in front of a pot of Chanfana for four with potatoes. Ana took us on a very long walk so we could eat a lot.
But the Chanfana wasn't the only thing, take a look at the next dish. It was exquisite. Honest.
Yes, if you come across someone in New Orleans who makes a great "dirty rice" you've come across a treasure. This rice was made from the "offal" of the goat, the bits we don't get to eat much of in the US. The taste was out of this world. who could have guessed? It's the cuisine of the poor, who have done more for tasty cuisine throughout the world than all the Michelin starred chefs put together.
Alheira de Caça is a sausage made of game meat and bread with spices like smoked paprika. They cold smoke the sausage, giving it a very smoky taste.
The idea of Alheira comes from the Jews, who used to hide their identity by making sausages that looked and were as fatty as the ubiquitous and traditional Portuguese pork sausage.These days Alheira, with its strong, smoky taste, can be chopped up and added to bland foods like mashed potatoes to "kick them up a notch" like the chef says.
But a sausage and some greens sauteed in olive oil makes a fine starter--or even a wnole meal if you haven't walked up hills all day.
The Alheira de Caça was wonderful at the Vallecula Restaurant in Barreiros. Here is a picture of the restaurant.
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