29th September, 2018

I know that I haven’t mentioned food much so far, but that’s not because I haven’t been indulging! Because I have…there is so much fantastic food in southern Europe! My epic food journey began in Provence, where I enjoyed the freshest fruits and veg from local the farmers markets, that travel from town to town each day. There was sugary sweet tomatoes, the juiciest peaches and figs, just to name a few. Oh, did I mention the frommage?! I discovered a new way to eat goat or sheep’s milk cheese…drizzle some good olive oil on it. Words cannot adequately describe how incredible that tastes.

Next, northern Spain…if you haven’t experienced Basque cuisine, you haven’t lived. Seriously! I ate so much meat, bread and cheese, I became worried that I would tip over. I was pleased as punch to have black pudding again, which I hadn’t eaten in decades. Everything was stupendously good..for 12 euros I had this plate of pintxos and a decent glass of red, which was more than enough to fill me up:

I thankfully was able to lay off the bread whilst in southern Spain, mainly because we cooked most of our meals. However, I made up the calories by drinking copious amounts of the local summer drink, which I just discovered…tinto de verano! It’s a simplified form of sangaria and less sweet..equal parts red wine and lemon Fanta (you could also use a sugar free option on this).

Now in Lisbon, and I’m trying to cut back on bread, which is a massive challenge. In Basque country, all the pinxtos are served on a slice of baguette. Here in Portugal, they have such good bread, that you’re tempted to always get a sandwich..whether its salted cod cake or presunto (similar to jamón or prosciutto). Today, I found this fantastic Roman style pizza shop…you know how much I LOVE pizza! All are made fresh throughout the day, so none are sitting around for hours.  Two of these squares for 4 euros…happy days!

After lunch, having been walking all over town since 9am, I decided to institute siesta in Portugal and headed back to the flat. I ran into my host, who told me about this wacky Byzantine-inspired building that looks like nothing else around it, but houses several cool concept stores and a bar dedicated to gin cocktails. Post-siesta G&T was just the ticket…this was a local gin, with lemon thyme and white grape for a subtle and unique flavor. I sipped it over-looking this tucked away garden behind the building, with is home to several bars and restaurants.

The area I’m staying in has a ton of restaurants, so I opted for a light dinner of oysters au gratin and a nice white. Foi delicioso!

Last but not least, custard tarts!! I just adore custard tarts and haven’t had one since leaving the UK, so am over the moon! I may eat one every day that I’m in Portugal…by December I may start looking like one!