Eating Out In The Algarve
 
sardines
 
Eating out can be a real pleasure in the Algarve. Away from the beaten path, you will find that most restaurants are cheap and serve good healthy food in big portions. The national dish “bacalhau” (dried codfish) is not for everybody, but if you come across “Bacalhau com natas (with cream)”, “Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá” or “Bacalhau à Braz”, give it a try. These recipes are used a lot and, so prepared, bacalhau is truly delicious.Try also the "Caldo Verde" (the Portuguese cabbage soup.) Famous are the grilled sardines, they are best in the summer and have nothing in common with their canned counterparts. Their Valhalla is Portimão but their priests and followers are to be found all over the Algarve. Eating sardines creates a special atmosphere and always turns out to be a bit of a party. The yearly Sardine festival held in Portimão is an event where just about everybody goes to. Springtime brings out the snails and in the smaller, more typical bars and restaurants you will see people enjoying plates of snails. They are prepared with garlic and herbs and are very good with beer or white wine.
In the coastal area the natural preference is for seafood. Visit the local fish market in the morning to see what all ends up in the fishermen's nets and ultimately on your table. Specialized restaurants offer an incredible choice of different kinds of fish and shellfish dishes.
in the rural areas and the mountains, just 15 min. away from the coast, the people are more dedicated to agriculture and raising livestock. Bread, smoked ham and sausages (chorizo) are homemade and the vegetables come from their own garden. Away from the coast, you will find more meat dishes. The restaurants serve meat specialties like pork, lam and kit goat stews. Cured ham and spicy charcoal grilled chicken (frango piri piri) are specialties from Monchique and very popular.
 
 
Desserts are very often home made and range from a to z. All over the Algarve you will find an immense array of sweets, many of them made with figs, almonds and egg yolk, like the Dom Rodrigos or the Morgados. Wines from the Algarve are perfectly drinkable, some being a bit better than the other. The wines from the Alentejo are a bit more expensive and the quality is better. If you cannot find anything familiar on the wine list go for something like Reguengos, Redondo or Borba. Reasonable priced, quality wines come from the Douro or Dão district.
In all restaurants they will serve a red and a white house wine. It’s the least expensive plunk they have got, but is usually quite a good plunk.“Vinho Verde”, green wine, is made from grapes that have not fully ripened yet. It can be red, white or even rosé. The wine is produced in the Douro and Minho regions of northern Portugal, sparkles slightly and usually has a low alcohol content. Try a “Casal Garcia”, a “Gatão” or a more expensive one like “Alvarinho”. Green wine is a light, refreshing drink, perfectly suited for a hot summer day.Afterwards one drinks a coffee (bica) with a glass of almond liquor (amêndoa amarga), brandy with honey (brandy mel) or medronho (locally distilled from the fruits of the strawberry tree.)Port wine (Vinho de Porto) is produced in the Douro valley, a demarcated region in northern Portugal. In the 1600’s, British sailors supposedly invented the drink when they mixed wine with brandy. Their concoction caught on and is nowadays one of the most well known drinks in the world.
White port, made from different varieties of white grapes, is an aperitif and usually served chilled whereas red port is more of an after dinner drink. Port wine comes in several qualities and flavours:
“Vintage” is kept in wooden barrels for 2 to 3 years, bottled and then stored for many years, slowly ripening to its full flavour.
“Vintage Character” is a mixture of various port wines from several years. After being stored for 4 to 6 years, its flavour and taste come very close to those of a vintage.
“Ruby” is about 3 years old, has a ruby-red colour and a full luxurious taste.
“Tawny” is a port wine that, due to prolonged storage in wooden barrels, lost some of its colour.
Port wine is available from sweet to extra dry.Good food in a nice restaurant makes you enjoy your holidays so much more. Ask around for the good places and try to avoid the nasty waiter who throws a leathery steak at you.