Alentejo gastronomy in Évora, Portugal

Charming-walled medieval towns, colourful landscapes and dramatic beaches, the Alentejo region has plenty to win you over. 

Alentejo, which translates as beyond the Tagus, has carved out quite a reputation for itself as a wine producer. Its cuisine, arguably Portugal’s best, is creative and imaginative. The secret is in the simple, seasonal ingredients used to produce an exciting melange of flavours.

Alentejo
Caminhantes_B©TVB

Once it was a region of wheat and wide plains with pigs roaming freely so bread, pork and olive oil became staples of the traditional Alentejo diet. Bolstered with wild plant species such as asparagus, coriander, river mint, garlic and oregano, the people produced delicious dishes, the secrets of which have been passed from generation to generation.

Bolstered with wild plant species such as asparagus, coriander, river mint, garlic and oregano, the people produced delicious dishes, the secrets of which have been passed from generation to generation.

Restaurante Café Alentejo

From wonderful soups such as that made from dogfish (a small white-fleshed shark) which you have to dip in your “Alentejo" bread, to flavoursome lamb and the highly-acclaimed porco preto (black pig) to relish, you will be treated to an outstanding culinary journey. 

Tucked into small side street off Évora’s main square, Praça do Giraldo, is the Restaurante Café Alentejo. This was, I discovered, the perfect place to sample the dishes of the area. At this once royal inn, I was greeted by a heady mix of aromas which made me feel even more hungry than I already was. 

Restaurante Café Alentejo

The Portuguese are known for their long lunches. Food is of vital importance here. As soon as I sat down my table was covered in dishes of olives, local cheeses and the Alentejo bread (beware they are not free, you pay for what you take). The temptation was hard to resist as I tucked in while admiring the beautiful décor and arches of the place. 

For my main course I plumped for salted cod (Bacalhau). Although Portugal only catches a small amount and the majority is imported, this is a popular dish here. Salting the cod and sun-drying keeps it fresh for months without having to be refrigerated. Before it is eaten, it is soaked in water for at least a day to reduce the levels of salt. The Portuguese have been preparing cod like this for centuries and are still so besotted with this dish that they serve it as their main dish at Christmas. Mine came with scrumptious small baked potatoes. I think I could also get hooked.

Doces Conventuais©NdN

I soon learnt you cannot have a meal in Portugal without having a dessert. While pastel de nata (custard tart) is a firm favourite, I was tempted to try one of the others. These tasty treats date back to the Middle Ages when many nuns made pastries to help raise income for their convents. The main ingredient was egg yolk which were in surplus due to the fact that they used the whites to stiffen their habits. Sweetened with sugar and spiced with cinnamon they are hard to resist. Although I was full, I managed to enjoy every spoonful of my selection of typical sweets.  

Another great place to go in Évora to partake in local cuisine is Mr. Pickwick. The menu offers a mix of local and international dishes. The rustic atmosphere is convivial and the waiters are attentive and friendly, just what you would expect from Portuguese hospitality. The asparagus melted in my mouth and the fish as spot on. Again, I could not turn down the desserts which were mouth-watering.

 Restaurante Degust'AR II

Dom Joaquim is rated as one of the best restaurants in the city. I had the roast lamb, another Alentejo speciality, which fell off the bone. It was succulent and tender. In my books a winner. The lively restaurant is attractively done out and has an impressive wine list (as there is so much to say about the wines from this region, I will cover it in another post). It is one you should put on your list when in town.

Restaurante Degust'AR II at the five-star Mar d’AR Aqueduto is the place to go for something special. Bang in the centre of Évora, this boutique hotel, once a 16^th-century palace, is the place for fine dining. A tasting menu which has a distinctively Mediterranean flavour is highly recommended, although the à la carte menu is equally enticing.

Most memorable were the crab paté with a vinaigrette of Alentejo herbs followed by scallops with seafood foam. A dish of sautéed red mullet followed before I was served with veal with a sausage crust and potato ragout. A selection of wines were served to accompany each dish (Portuguese, of course.) The meal ended with a plate of convent-inspired sweets, served with a tangy lemon sorbet.

I could not leave Évora without eating at the Divinus Restaurant, the gourmet establishment at the Convento do Espinheiro. This luxury hotel was once a 15^th century convent which played host to royalty and nobles.

Divinus Restaurant

They would certainly give their seal of approval to the fare being served today. Once a wine cellar, you get a sense of place as you tuck into dishes of the Alentejo which have been given a sophisticated and innovative twist of Mediterranean aromas. The wine list here is full of palate pleasers.

Caramelised sea scallops in a tomato and basil purée made a divine starter. Spoilt for choice for the main course, I plumped for veal which was served with summer vegetables. Delicious. For somebody who actually does not have a sweet tooth, once again, the word no did not leave my mouth. I rounded off with “raspberry and lime freshness with lemon ice cream.” 

Emerging from my stay in Évora as a rather bigger version of myself, it was time to head to the airport. Luckily, TAP Portugal weigh your luggage and not you!

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

TAP Portugal flies from London Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester to Lisbon up to 9 times a day, prices start at £124 return including all taxes and surcharges. For further information, visit www.flytap.com or call 0345 601 0932

I stayed at the impressive five star M`AR De AR Aqueduto, housed in the 16^th-century Sepulveda Palace. For more information visit www.mardearhotels.com

Another wonderful hotel is the Convento do Espinheiro. Slightly further out of the city, this is a great place if you want a combination of culture, cuisine and relaxation. For more information visit www.conventodoespinheiro.com 

Great places to eat

Café Alentejo restaurantecafealentejo.com

Mr. Pickwick www.evora.net/mrpickwick-mrsnob

Restaurante Dom Joaquim restaurantedomjoaquim.pai.pt

For more information about Alentejo visit www.visitalentejo.pt/en/ 

 

Destination Évora, Alentejo, Portugal

Never-ending shades of green carpeted with vines, cork-oak trees and splashes of purple and yellow flowers peppered with medieval towns, Alentejo is rustic romance laced with authentic flavour.

It seemed only minutes ago that I had left the hustle and bustle of Lisbon Airport and crossed the imposing Vasco da Gama Bridge that spans the Tagus estuary. And here I was being welcomed by the beguiling beauty of the Alentejo.

The Alentejo

As my driver meandered along the quiet roads, I watched cows grazing nonchalantly and lambs frisking in the meadows. This is a world where the languid pace of life seems to have remained unaltered for centuries. Any gnawing frenzy that stressed-out city dwellers, like me, bring with them quickly melts away. It felt good to be back in Portugal’s agricultural heartland.

Covering almost a third of the country, it stretches from the Tagus in the north to the hills of the Algarve in the south. The name Alentejo is derived from além do Tejo which translates as beyond the Tagus.

It was not long before I glimpsed the arches of Évora’s 16th-century aqueduct appearing beyond its medieval city walls. This hilltop haven of culture and gastronomy was to be my base for the next few days. 

Évora’s 16th-century aqueduct seen from the garden of the M`AR De AR Aqueduto 

They say every city has stories that define them and Évora is no exception. Wherever you go in the capital of Alentejo, walls echo with the past. Whitewashed houses with wrought-iron balconies, from hundreds of years ago, hugging the narrow and winding cobbled streets play with your imagination as you start to wonder who and what has gone before you.  

With links to the Celts, this once vibrant Roman city saw the Visigoths and the Moors too leave their stamp. Évora’s golden age was in the 15^th century when it became the residence of the Portuguese kings. Today, the historic centre is listed as a Unesco world heritage site attracting people from all over the world.

From the roof top of the Romanesque-Gothic Sé de Évora (Évora Cathedral) you have great views of the town and the surrounding countryside. The inside is lavish and has a unique marble statue of the pregnant Virgin Mary. According to legend, the fleet of Vasco da Gama had its flags blessed here before they set sail to India.

Templo romano

The star of this open-air museum city, as it often is called, has to be the granite and marble Templo romano (Roman temple). It is over 2,000 years old and, my guide Olga Correia Miguel told me, is one of the best-preserved on the Iberian Peninsula.

At the Casas Pintadas (Painted Houses) a stunning set of frescoes from the second half of the 16^th century, decorates the garden wall. This is unusual, apparently, in Spain and Portugal as no other garden has anything quite like this still in existence. 

The house became part of the complex of buildings of the Palace of the Inquisition and was bought in the 19^th century by the founder of the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, a privately-owned charity based in Évora. You can see what the life of this powerful Portuguese family was like by mooching round the house.




Chapel of Bones

From the beautiful to the macabre, we headed to the 15th-century San Francisco Church (NB: it closes at lunchtime). I hate to think what St Francis who was all for simplicity would make of all the glitz here. What makes this grand structure stand out from the crowd apart from the Gothic and Mudéjar features is the Chapel of Bones. 

Walk into this small room and you are greeted by the bones and skulls of approximately 5,000 people which plaster the walls. This was the solution devised by 17^th-century monks to cope with the problem of overflowing graveyards in churches and monasteries. The eeriness is emphasised by the inscription over the door: “We bones that are here, for yours await.” 

Olga pointed out that the message is really whether you are rich or poor, or whatever your skin colour, we all end up as bones.

On that chilling note it was time to take in some fresh air and refuel with a coffee in the Praça de Giraldo, the main square, at one of the many cafés that spill into it. The square also features a lovely water fountain which dates back to the 16^th century.

Praça de Giraldo, the main square

The Portuguese love their sweets and a small desert is an indulgence that is hard to resist. I kept telling myself that they were good energy boosters. One of my favourites is the pastel de nata, a scrumptious rich egg custard tart made with puff pastry.

Soon the surrounding arcades were calling and it was time to go and explore them. Running off the square the quaint streets are filled with pretty boutiques and shops selling traditional Portuguese handcrafts including Arraiolos rugs made in a town close by, tiles and cork in guises ranging from table mats to bags as well as lamps and chairs.

Part of the city walls

And, of course, as you are in the Alentejo there are plenty of places to stop and taste some of the spectacular wines that this region has to offer.

The sensual culinary aromas that fill the air always make you feel hungry and believe me it will be hard to find better cuisine anywhere. Food is important here. What you will get is lashings of top quality fresh produce. With every mouthful, exciting flavours enfold into your mouth. (I could wax lyrical about the cuisine so I will focus on this in another post.
allabouthairuk.blogspot.co.uk/alentejo-gastronomy-in-evora-portugal)

Évora is a rich array of centuries that has been integrated into a modern university city. For a small place it packs a punch well above its weight.

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

TAP Portugal flies from London Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester to Lisbon up to 9 times a day, prices start at £124 return including all taxes and surcharges. For further information, visit www.flytap.com or call 0345 601 0932

I stayed at the impressive five star M`AR De AR Aqueduto, housed in the 16^th-century Sepulveda Palace. For more information visit www.mardearhotels.com

Another wonderful hotel is the Convento do Espinheiro. Slightly further out of the city, this is a great place if you want a combination of culture, cuisine and relaxation. For more information visit www.conventodoespinheiro.com 

Great places to eat

Café Alentejo restaurantecafealentejo.com

Mr. Pickwick www.evora.net/mrpickwick-mrsnob

Restaurante Dom Joaquim restaurantedomjoaquim.pai.pt

Wine Tastings

Vinhos do Alentejo www.vinhosdoalentejo.pt

Cartuxa www.cartuxa.pt

For more information about Alentejo visit www.visitalentejo.pt/en/