Bread of Heaven
There’s a feeling in Portugal that bread is sacred – ‘pão é sagrado’, they say – and that it sustains life like the wafer taken at Communion.
Port’s Past and Present
It seems that Portugal’s much-celebrated port wine was invented by chance. A shortage of French claret at the end of the 17th-century had wealthy wine connoisseurs searching for suitable alternatives.
Entrée to the Algarve
There’s no better place for a relaxing meal – alfresco style – than along the sun-baked shores of the Algarve in the south of Portugal.
In the Pink
The year 1942 was a very turbulent one but it did spawn one of the world’s most iconic and popular table wines.
The Timeless Taste of Madeira
When William Shakespeare mentioned Madeira wine in his late sixteenth century play ‘Henry IV, Part 1’, it seems he was already very well aware of its intoxicating virtues.
Liquid Gold
The Phoenicians first brought olive trees across the Mediterranean to Portugal and the Romans were successful in cultivating the groves and pressing the olives to attain the precious oil. Today, olive […]
Lisbon’s Favourite Tipple
One of the more unusual features in the streets around Rossio, Lisbon’s bustling central square, are the small bars with their dated interiors selling ginjinha, the local name for morello cherry brandy.
Sweet Sensation
In Portugal, a love of all things sweet is perhaps a lip-smacking legacy of the country’s long period of Moorish occupation, especially in the south of the country.
On the Menu
Due to its many complexities, the Portuguese don’t really expect visitors to speak their language very well but are very engaging and fully appreciative when someone tries. And there’s nothing more […]
Lisbon’s 184-Year-Old Secret
Portugal’s highly-regarded and much-savoured Pastel de Belém celebrates its 184th birthday this year, but its ingredients remain a closely guarded secret.