In Porto, ‘all major events happen around the table’
PORTO, Portugal — “The ladies who work here are walking encyclopedias on food and traditional recipes,” said André Apolinário as we walked the halls of the historic Mercado do Bolhão in Porto, Portugal. “I’ve learned so much from them.”
Apolinário is the cofounder of Taste Porto, leading culinary tours in Portugal’s “Second City.” Located along the banks of the Douro River, Porto is a pretty UNESCO World Heritage City, filled with cobblestone streets and ancient architecture. It’s known for its inexpensive, quality wines and world-famous Port, and emerging culinary scene. But it was Porto’s traditional dishes — conservas, queijo, enchidos, fumados, and folderas — that we wanted to try, so we joined Apolinário on a private walking tour, starting at the Mercado do Bolhão.
“About 80 percent of the vendors here are some of the originals,” Apolinário said. The Mercado do Bolhão opened in 1914 and remains one of Porto’s main markets. It’s been recently restored into a bright, gleaming venue; what it lacks in soul it makes up for in cleanliness.
We walked past Peixana Sara’s, filled with bins of fresh fish and buckets of clams and sardines. Apolinário waved to the woman behind the counter, who was cleaning a monkfish, her hands bloody as she removed its guts. “We call monkfish lobster for poor men,” Apolinário said.
We passed buckets filled with olives, heaps of fresh produce, and flowers, on our way to the Queijaria do Bolhão stall. The aptly named shop specializes in local cheeses from Serra da Estrela, Azeitão, Serpa, Nisa, the Azores, and more. It’s family-owned and has been around for more than 40 years.
“It smells like a gym bag, but it tastes so good,” Apolinário said as we tried Serra da Estrela, a sheep’s cheese known as the “king” of Portuguese cheeses. We used spoons to scoop out the creamy, buttery cheese before slathering it on chunks of toast, accompanied with a glass of sparkling wine from Beira, which Apolinário called a “good breakfast wine.” He heard no argument from us. We also tried spoonfuls of queijo ovelha amanteigado, a soft, delicate cheese, unique enough to buy, pack, and cart home.
Canned or tinned fish is a very big deal in Porto. What started as a necessary preservation method and later food for the military has turned into Porto’s culinary art. We found stores selling colorful tins of seafood on nearly every street corner, with a variety of seasonings and flavors. Canned sardines are the most traditional, but there’s also canned mackerel, cod, tuna, anchovies, octopus, eel, and more. Apolinário guided us to a third-generation stall specializing in tinned fish. “His great-grandmother sold in this market,” he said, introducing us to Hugo Silva. “He uses the best, freshest fish.” Silva served us three tastings: tinned sardines, codfish, and red mackerel. All were oily, a little spicy, fishy, and delicious.
We weren’t done with the Mercado do Bolhão. There were cured meats to taste, made with marinated, smoked, and aged black pig, and wines, including a dry Douro Valley red, and another crisp, white Beira.
We walked out of the market into the bustling streets of Porto, feeling happy as Apolinário pointed out old churches, historic blue-tiled buildings, hidden alleyways, and some of his favorite shops. At a local grocery store, one of the oldest in town, we picked up pao com chourico (bread stuffed with sausage) and chatted about the reasonably priced wine selection. We discovered good wines for 10 euros (close to $11), and decent, drinkable wines for under 10 euros. “Thirty euros will get you gold in a bottle,” Apolinário said.
“You must have heard of this place,” Apolinário said as we passed the Majestic Café. The grand, ornate café opened in 1921 and quickly became the center of Porto’s cultural scene, drawing artists, writers, and intellectuals, along with the rich and famous. It’s been restored to its glory and there was a line of tourists snaking out the door, waiting for a peek at its opulent interior. We opted to move on to Snack-Bar Gazela, a streetside vendor selling cachorrinhos (Portuguese hot dogs). “We don’t do tailgating. Instead, we stop for snacks like these,” Apolinário said. “You’ll find places like this all over the city.” We shared the thin crusty bread stuffed with sausage and cheese and brushed with butter and spicy sauce, washed down with a local Pilsner beer.
Our energy was waning and our stomachs were full, but there was more, and we were trying to be good sports. What else could we do but enjoy the famous francesinha at Café Santiago, a casual joint, with cheap prices and hefty sandwiches. Our francesinha included sausage, ham, bologna, cheese, and layers of bread topped with a fried egg and gravy. No kidding.
“Communal eating, sharing is very important to us,” Apolinário said. “All major events happen around the table.” We were sharing petishchos (small plates) at Taxca, a slightly off-the-beatenpath eatery. The restaurant is known for its traditional bifana sandwiches, featuring a pile of marinated warm pork on a soft bun. Instead, we shared a delightfully fresh, light, and herby octopus salad.
We ended our tour de feast like most Tripeiros end dinner, with port. We tasted three, including a 20-year-old Dalva white port, at Oli, a wine shop owned by a Brazilian sommelier.
The mention of Tripeiros, a nickname given to Porto people for inventing the dish called tripas a moda do Porto, reminded us that we hadn’t yet tasted the dish. The traditional dish features beef stomach with tripe, rice, and beans. “I know just where we can try it!” Apolinário said.
And that’s when we called it quits. We came, we ate, we drank, and then we slept — until dinner.
For more information on Porto, visit www.visitportoandnorth.travel. Taste Porto offers a variety of culinary tours, www.tasteporto.com.