An Independent Book Review
Portuguese food doesn’t get anywhere near the recognition it deserves. Eat Portugal – The Essential Guide to Portuguese Food attempts to address that.
Eat Portugal – The Essential Guide to Portuguese Food
Growing up in England, I heard plenty about French food. And Italian food.
Yet for some reason, even though Portugal’s so close, I’d have struggled to name a single Portuguese dish.
For shame.
Since then, I’ve travelled through Portugal, albeit nowhere near enough. From upscale restaurants in Lisbon to the tourist trail in the Algarve, whatever else has happened, I’ve never had the proverbial bad meal.
Which is why, when I was offered the chance to review Eat Portugal, I took it, tastebuds tingling and eyes and stomach ready for a treat.
About the Book
Eat Portugal is the work of Portuguese journalist Célia Pedroso and British illustrator Lucy Pepper (a great name for writing about food, although I’m sure I won’t be the first person to point that out.) It comes in a glossy, novel-sized format and tells stories about the food as it goes along.
For example:
- Some say that Japanese tempura is of Portuguese origin (like their word for thank you, arigato, which is uncannily similar to obrigado.) Portuguese traders and missionaries did start arriving in Japan in the 16th century. Tempura is very similar to these beans (peixinhos da horta) deep-fried in batter and to the Portuguese word temperar (to season), so there might be some truth in it.
The book details 52 recipes (which I wish I could have tested out for you, but alas time, kitchen restraints and general lack of talent have held me back) as well as including a bilingual dictionary, key phrases and a thorough glossary.
Keen fans of Spanish food will no doubt recognise some similarities with the country’s close neighbour – think of the salted cod bacalau/bacalhau, the cold tomato soups and the prawns served in whisky.
Eat Portugal – In Conclusion
Eat Portugal is a delicious introduction to a much-overlooked cuisine. I look forward to exploring the food more in person – and on reporting back to you here. In the meantime, you can buy the book here, prices start at 14.95 Euros. Disclosure: I was provided with a free review copy of Eat Portugal. Read the whole, delicious disclosure policy.
Calamari was a huge hit with me on childhood holidays in Portugal! The sardines are good too. Don’t miss out!
Looks like a lovely recipe book. Does it have a recipe for francesinhas? I developed a real taste for these in Porto. But they’re a sinful, sinful dish.