We made it to Lisbon, the week it officially declared itself monsoon time, but at least we missed the snow in the UK. The lovely Lisboa Prata Boutique Hotel is close to Baixa-Chiado metro and by good luck we found ourselves in the perfect spot to explore gastronomic delights, as well as this lovely city we’d heard so many positive things about. The architecture is beautiful and the steeply terraced streets add an extra dimension making it more like Naples than Madrid. Everyone in our admittedly up-market tourist area spoke English, in general people were very friendly and welcoming and tourism is very important. It would have been a bit better if I hadn’t had my purse nicked the first morning we went out sightseeing, that can happen anywhere, but travellers should be extra careful.
Lisbon’s traditional fare starts with wonderfully fresh fish and seafood closely followed by beef, stews, suckling pig and a variety of sausages including black pudding. Broa is the traditional bread made from corn, sometimes with rye and wheat added. Bakeries also displayed variations of savoury pasties mostly filled with meat or fish as well as sweet cakes, not least the famous Pastéis de Nata (Pastel de Nata).
Check out the Pastéis de Belém website to learn more about this custard tart delicacy and other traditional sweet and savoury Portuguese pastries. This bakery is located beside the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, the monks that perfected the recipe in the 18th century.
We brunched on a breakfast speciality, a toasted sandwich made with large slices of Broa and filled with cheese and quince jam as the be-suited gentleman beside us tucked into an enormous piece of beef with eggs and a glass of wine, this was lunchtime for the hardworking locals! Toasted sandwiches came in many variations like Francesinha, filled with ham and sausage, covered with cheese and served also covered in a rich tomato sauce. The espressos and the café com liete (with milk like a cappuccino) were good and strong, no disappointment with our caffeine requirements.
Portuguese is not a “Mediterranean” style of food as in how I think of that of Spain, France and Italy, but why would it be when Portugal resolutely faces the Atlantic?
I didn’t get a lot of time to sample the meaty stews and fish dishes labelled as traditional by so many restaurants and I was travelling with a vegetarian. We experienced a more modern take on what can be done with fresh and seasonal produce, the upside of when time is limited and driving rain discourages exploratory strolls, but we had plenty on our doorstep.
Non-gastronomic highlights of the trip were our visit to Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, the Jerónimos Monastery close to the famous bakery as mentioned above. Our stroll through the Alfama district was really special and we felt we were seeing the real old heart of the city. We didn’t make the night time carousing in the barrio, there is always the next visit of course…
Favourite spots
