Cooking, Food, Cuisine, Gastronomy in the Algarve

A land of fishermen lapped by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Algarve is a paradise for everyone who enjoys fish and sea food. Because every day, as morning breaks, the fishing boats return to harbour laden with the night's catch. And also because the people of the Algarve have centuries of experience in cooking the fruits harvested from the sea.

The simplest method - grilling the fish, be it sardine, sea bream or mullet, over the slow heat of glowing charcoals - is also one of the most delicious. For more complex flavour combinations nothing beats the old fishermen's recipes, which range from wholesome soups made with razor clam, prawn and fish of all kinds to conger, clam and octopus risottos, and from cuttlefish and baby squid in their ink to whelk and bean stew, fish stew and sea food in a thick bread soup known as "agorda".

The cuisine of the interior is redolent of fertile fields and vegetable plots, of flocks grazed on hills fragrant with wild herbs. From fried chicken to braised leg of lamb, accompanied by chick peas or cabbage, to the simple but tasty carrot preserve that is served with fish and meat, or snails cooked with herbs, all the local dishes are rich in the flavours of the countryside.

But the piece de resistance of Algarvean cuisine is the delicious dish of clams cooked in a cataplana, usually with tomatoes, onions, cream and pieces of bacon or sausage. The secret is in the cataplana, a broad copper vessel with a hinged lid that is Moorish in origin. The lid is closed while the ingredients simmer together and the flavours develop. And when it is opened - what a treat!

The Algarve has some tempting cakes and pastries too. Made with the almonds, figs and oranges that are grown throughout the area and plenty of eggs and sugar, they bear such exotic names as "Dom Rodrigos", "morgados" and "morgadinhos". Stuffed figs, fig cake and figs with almonds and chocolate are among the many traditional desserts.

The grapes of the Algarve get plenty of sunshine and yield heady wines with lots of fruit that go well with the region's cuisine. And to round off a meal, the arbutus brandy known as "medronho" and other traditional liqueurs made with fruit and honey are well worth a try.

Faro Region Gastronomy

All of the Algarve's best-knowrn dishes can be tasted in Faro. But anyone who wants to try the typical fishermen's recipes should sample the local fish soup and the traditional razor clam risotto.

Choosing among the many local cakes and desserts is a hard task because they all make extensive use of the tasty local figs and almonds. The best way to round off a meal is a glass of fig brandy or "medronho", a spirit made with the fruit of the strawberry tree.

Gastronomy of the Vila do Bispo Region of the Algarve

Sea on two sides, land on one. The cooking typical of Vila do Bispo reflects this dual influence in dinners of chickpeas and boiled cabbage flavoured with cured meats, in the presence of corn flour in maize-meal with sardines, in delicious fish dishes: conger risotto, baked dory or sea bream, fish stew, fried morey sandwiches.

Shellfish in Vila do Bispo is always tempting, as anyone will vouch who has eaten the barnacles and whelks harvested from the rocks or the succulent lobsters that the boats bring in at dawn.

Sagres honey cake is what the Vila do Bispo area has to offer those who appreciate something sweet at the end of a meal... or with a nice cup of tea.

Portimao Region tasty local cooking

Top of the list of gastronomic delights associated with Portimao is tasty, grilled sardine, served on a slice of home-made bread, a simple but delicious combination to be had in any of the restaurants along the quayside. But there is more than grilled sardine to Portimao's culinary repertoire. Local entrees include chard and purslane soups, white bean soup with sweet potato, bread and tomato soup - a favourite of the local fishermen - and "arjamolho" a refreshing soup that is ideal on hot days.

There is a plentiful choice of fish and seafood too. Cataplana, which takes its name from the traditional hinged copper vessels in which it is cooked; fish stew; Portimao-style clams; and bean and whelk stew made with large whelks, red beans and green peppers and seasoned with parsley and bay leaf. The maritime side of the menu also includes razor clam risotto, "carapau" (a fish not unlike mackerel) in a vinegar sauce, and fried baby cuttlefish, while rural flavours and produce take the fore in broad beans with fried fish, corn broth with sausages or sea food and Portimao-style peas.

Nor is there any shortage of cakes and desserts, many of which rely on a judicious combination of figs, almonds, sugar and eggs: "morgados", "Dom Rodrigos", "bolas de ovo" and "figos cheios".

The Penina region of Portimao municipality even produces its own wines, whites and reds redolent of the hot summer sun.

Flavours of the Serra de Monchique

Dishes made with rice and beans or chestnuts are not to be missed. Equally tasty are the many recipes based on pork, which also finds its way into a wide variety of delicious home-made sausages and blood sausages, including "farinheiras" and "molhos". Another local delicacy is the ham cured using methods centuries old - its smoky, nutty flavour is unforgettable. Honey is an ingredient common to nearly all the cakes and desserts of the Monchique region: "bolo de tacho" and honey pudding. The nectar gleaned from the many different types of wild flower makes a fragrant, complex honey that has long had a reputation for quality. Indeed bees have been kept commercially since the 16th century. At the end of a meal nothing goes down like a glass of "medronho", the heady spirit made in copper stills from the fruits of the arbutus tree, or a sip of "melosa", a mixture of brandy and honey.