Tasty adventures in Portugal: Belem custard tarts

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cake, custard tarts, pastry, portugal, sintra

Countries in mainland Europe are just so blooming amazing at making mountains of baked yumminess aren’t they? And Portugal is no exception.

Wandering around Lisbon you’ll find a bakery on practically every corner, with delicious looking cakes, biscuits and pastries bursting out of their window displays and proving very difficult to resist.

High up on my must-try list was the Pastel de Belém, also known as Pastel de Nata, a traditional custard tart that is said to date back to the 18^th century when nuns used the egg yolks left over from wine making to make this tasty little treat.

I got my hands on one on our day trip to the lovely little town of Sintra, just outside Lisbon. Here I am…in Sintra…pre-tart….

They tasted as good as they looked – the perfect combination of sweet pastry and thick, creamy yellow custard. Why thank you, you thrifty nuns!

On another note, I’m really excited to be heading to the first ever BrewDog festival this weekend Brew at the Bog near Inverness. Not only will I be sampling some tasty beer but I’ll also be making notes on some of the interesting festival food there, so watch this space for a related blog post. In the meantime, check out a guest blog I did for the rather fabulous Ale to the King, all about BrewDog bar in Edinburgh.

Off to get the thermals out…

Tasty adventures in Portugal: the Francesinha – a sandwich to end all other sandwiches

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cheese, Francesinha, holiday, meat, Porto, portugal, sandwich, steak, travel

Say hello to the most epic sandwich you will ever encounter – the Francesinha. Seek out this meaty, cheesy delight and your standard tuna mayo or egg and cress will forever pale in comparison.

The Francesinha isn’t hard to find in Porto, so spend a little time seeking out somewhere locals are eating to be sure of the tastiest specimen.
This may be called a ‘little French girl’ but little it ain’t (although the boyfriend and I agreed you could definitely fit a small child in there).

A traditional Francesinha contains wet-cured ham, smoke-cured pork, sausages and steak, all sandwiched between two slices of bread, lathered with molten cheese and drenched in a spicy tomato and beer sauce. With chips. Oh my.

I thought I was doing a rather good job of delicately eating mine in a ladylike fashion until my boyfriend exclaimed “well, there’re not many girls who could take a Francesinha like you do.” After that I stopped trying to be elegant and tried to take pride in my meat eating abilities.
It was heaven.

The best thing about the Francesinha is that it isn’t just something for the tourists. As we were leaving the restaurant, a little light-headed and a little bit in need of a lie down, we saw a tiny, elderly Portuguese lady tucking into a Francesinha, giant portion of chips and huge glass of Super Bock. Good on you, love.

Tasty adventures in Portugal: A trip to the market

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food, foodie, healthy, market, mercado do bolhao, oranges, portugal, sardines, travel

During our stay in the northern city of Porto we visited the colourful daily market – Mercado do Bolhão. It’s a glorious place to explore and a great way to get a taste of local life.

The market was pretty quiet when we visited in the afternoon, but I imagine mornings are the busiest time when the produce is at its freshest. Mercado do Bolhão was everything you might picture a Portuguese market to be – from glistening sardines to bountiful displays of fruit and veg, stalls bursting with colourful flowers to traditional handmade ‘azulejos’ (those ceramic tiles you see practically everywhere in Portugal).

We treated ourselves to some enormous green olives which we munched away on whilst exploring the stalls, and couldn’t resist buying some juicy oranges for the train ride back to Lisbon.

It’s no surprise that the med is so famous for its healthy diet and long life expectancy – the food on offer here was nothing but nutritious and bursting with goodness. Next time I go to Portugal I’m going self-catering so I get the chance to cook some of that delicious looking fish for my dinner.

The boyfriend even managed to get himself a lucky Portuguese cock, bought from a tiny, gentle Portuguese lady who made up for her lack in height with boundless enthusiasm for her collection of cocks.

Unfortunately Portuguese cocks don’t travel well, but lucky for Rob I’m a dab hand with the superglue…

Tasty adventures in Portugal: Goose barnacles

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delicacies, goose barnacles, portugal

The first time I ever tasted prawns was in Portugal when I was about ten years old. It’s one of my most vivid memories from around that time – I was with my mum, dad and little brother and we were sat on plastic chairs at a beachside restaurant as the tide came in and lapped around our bare feet.
I remember thinking they looked like aliens when they came out with their little beady black eyes looking up at me. But with a little encouragement from my seafood-loving dad I was soon unpeeling them with glee and savouring the juicy pink morsels inside.
As the sun set over Portugal I realised two things – 1) I loved prawns, 2) one day I would return to Portugal.

And I did. As an adult, with a boyfriend and everything. For me returning to Portugal felt like my seafood pilgrimage and I have so many stories to tell you about my foodie adventures there…
But first, I’d like to start with something a little freaky. Say hello to ‘goose barnacles’ (proper name Percebes)…

These cheeky little critters are filter-feeding crustaceans and a pricey must-try in Portugal. On our last night in Lisbon we visited the unpretentious Cervejaria A Berlenga, where the charming waiter chatted away to us in perfect English.
Unsure what to expect we ordered a small plate of the barnacles, along with some lightly sparkling Vinho Verde (Portuguese green wine – yum).
Although a little green around the edges, and needing a few practise runs to open – the oblong morsels inside were delicious – like a mussel but stronger tasting and with the texture of octopus.
Definitely one of the strangest looking things I’ve ever eaten, and a Portuguese delicacy I’d happily tuck into again!