Good news!! Portugal is the country of the EU with fewer cases of covid-19

Portugal is currently the country of the EU with the lowest incidence rate of covid-19, according to the most recent data released this Thursday , March 18th, by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC, in acronym in English).

In the last 14 days, Portugal recorded an incidence of 93 cases of infection with the new coronavirus per 100 thousand inhabitants, according to the ECDC weekly report. Second in the list of countries with the lowest numbers in the EU (considering only the 27 Member States) is Ireland, with 144 cases per hundred thousand inhabitants, and third is Spain, with 147.

Portugal History told by tradicional dishes

Any gastronomy is based on the geography and history of a people. Portuguese cuisine is no exception. Much appreciated and considered one of the most varied in the world, get to know the origin of what they put on your plate each time you visit a Portuguese restaurant.

The Atlantic influences on Portuguese gastronomy are notorious, both due to the proximity to the sea and the history of a country naturally linked to discoveries. On the other hand, the cultural impact caused by the various peoples who have passed through here for centuries, including the Muslims and the Romans, have also left marked marks that today are very visible in any dish. We have one of the richest gastronomies in the world, essentially marked by the presence of fish, which is also part of the so-called Mediterranean Diet - whose base is based on the trilogy of bread, wine and oil. However, meat is also present as it moves into the territory, naturally due to the scarcity of fish, giving rise to various delicacies inspired mainly by pork and beef, not forgetting the most varied soups.

Let's try some dishes and get to know many historical curiosities.:

COD DISHES

We prefer not to talk about a cod dish in particular since the topic would be too long to be addressed in this article. So let's go, and just in this case, focus briefly on the history of the Portuguese king dish. The pioneers in the discovery of cod were the Viking people. The scarcity of salt led to the drought of this food for better conservation during its long journeys. In the century. There are already reports of salting in Portugal in the 14th century, but it is with the Age of Discovery (XV) that cod is chosen as one of the essential foods in Portuguese maritime fleets. However, with the development of Portuguese cuisine and the arrival of products from India and Brazil, variations in cod dishes have multiplied. Nowadays, any Portuguese restaurant has at least one cod dish on its menu.

CLAMS WITH BULHÃO PATO SAUCE

This dish is a tribute to a romantic poet of the 19th century, an authentic gourmet with skills for the kitchen, named António Raimundo Bulhão Pato, who created recipes such as Lebre à Bulhão Pato and Perdizes à Castelhana. However, the famous Bulhão Pato clams were invented by a cook from the restaurant Estrela D’Ouro, in Rua da Prata, in Lisbon. As a way of thanking António Bulhão Pato for his constant praise for his creations, the cook named the dish after his client.

FRANCESINHA

This is a gastronomic symbol of Porto and was born in 1950 by the hand of Daniel David Silva, cook at the restaurant “A Regaleira”. Returning to Portugal after emigrating to France, he took the classic Croque-Monsieur, one of the most typical French sandwiches and adapted it to the preferences of the land, stuffing it with meats and sausages and adding a much appreciated sauce that consists of true recipe secret.

Not all Portuguese restaurants have this delicacy available, but Porto is undoubtedly the best place to try it.

OCTUPUS À LAGAREIRO SAUCE

From the salty sea to a sea of oil, the octopus wants to be tender and well watered. Lagareiro comes from a mill, precisely due to the huge amount of oil in the recipe. Legend has it that the Polvo à Lagareiro was born in Beiras, where it was customary to prepare it in the kilns' ovens, believing it could be a variation of the Cod à Lagareiro.

DUCK RICE

Duck rice has its origin in the city of Braga. It is said that it appeared in popular cuisine with the need to enjoy the remains of the previous day's stew - at least the ingredients seem to prove it.
There are, however, similar dishes in other parts of the world - northern Spain or Peru, where it is known as "ñuñuma", where it is made with beer.
Legend has it that women from neighboring Spain created the original recipe so that they could enchant their intended ones more easily. The secret was in the duck's heart, hidden in the rice. Once eaten, it would provoke in men a passion for their women.
This is also a typical dish present in many Portuguese restaurants.

COVID 19 - Impact on Tourism in Portugal

Since the beginning of the year, World has been facing a pandemic that has no parallel in the history of the Planet, such is its magnitude and social and economic impact.

It is obvious that there have been other pandemic crises before, such as the black plague, cholera, or the Spanish flu, which were more devastating in terms of fatalities and implications on the general health of the population in specific places. The difference is that all these pandemics were much more localized and never, as now, reached the 5 continents almost simultaneously. And at a time when globalization is fully established, the effects of this particular pandemic are being devastating, not only in terms of health but, and very markedly, in terms of the global economy.

Portugal, due to its peripheral geographical location, seems to be having a little more “luck” than its European counterparts. The virus arrived about two weeks late in relation to these countries at a time when the population and the Government were already alert and many measures, including confinement, were applied at a relatively early stage of the virus transmission. Probably for this reason, the effects have been more controlled than in other countries, and it seems that the so-called “flattening of the propagation curve” that is meant at not overwhelming the health services could be in the process of being achieved. However, it is important to note that the virus transmission at the current time (early April) is still growing.

And as the virus is progressing, in Portugal and in the world, it’s already wreaking havoc in the Economy. Many advance that the crisis that will follow will be something never seen, and bigger than the economic crisis of 2008. Others affirm that the crisis of 2008 was structural, while the one that will derive from COVID 19 is circumstantial, reason why it will be more easily overcome. In any case, the world must be prepared for an inevitable recession.

One of the sectors that is suffering the most from this crisis is Tourism. Lockouts, flight suppressions, individual confinement and all the other (necessary!) measures to contain the virus spread led to a literal hibernation of Tourism, and it is not possible at this stage to estimate when the sector could wake up from this lethargic state.

In Portugal, as in other places, Government has tried at all costs to put forward measures to support and mitigate the effects of the crisis in the sector, seeking to secure companies and jobs, but it is certain that many players, namely the less qualified, those with higher fixed costs and those that, with the tourism boom in Portugal in recent years, have grown immeasurably without being aware of possible falls in demand, will not be able to rise. Inevitably, jobs will be lost and companies will shut.

On the other hand, it is expected that once the pandemic is controlled, tourism will be one of the sectors more likely to quickly recover. This is because people will feel the need to travel after so much time limited in their movements, almost as a way of celebrating a regained freedom. It is also likely that governments, airlines and travel agencies will create mechanisms and promotions to attract travellers and thus revive the sector.

And it is at this point that the players who survived this crisis will be able to capitalize on the confidence that they will convey to travelers for having been able to demonstrate stability and resilience by having managed to survive a crisis of this dimension.

Finally, and hopefully, it should be noted that Portugal may have a competitive advantage in this whole process of Tourism recovery because of the way it has been able to control the spread of the epidemic, due to the quality of its National Health System, institutional solidarity, political stability and the, already visible, Government's commitment to support and promote the sector. All of these are factors that convey security and confidence to travellers. And obviously because once this all over, Portugal will continue to be one of the most authentic, most culturally rich, most diverse and most welcoming countries in the World!

With My Lisbon Holidays we will offer you the opportunity to feel and live Portugal in a tailor-made way.

Percebes or Barnacles at Portugal

In search of ‘Lucifer’s fingers’

To understand why a restaurant charged me €100 for a plate of percebes – tube-shaped, gooseneck barnacles known in Portugal as ‘Lucifer’s fingers’ – I spent a day with the brave men who risk life and limb to harvest them from the country’s most south-western coastline, the Costa Vicentina.

Likened to the devil’s digits because of their thick, finger-like trunks and diamond-shaped ‘feet’ that are eerily similar to claws, percebes can only grow and multiply on rocks in the ocean intertidal zone (the area between the high and low water mark), where crashing waves feed them with plankton. They cannot be farmed, and the rough sea makes it notoriously dangerous for divers to harvest them. While gooseneck barnacles can be found in other parts of the world such as Canada, they are considered a rare delicacy in Spain and Portugal. (Credit: Tim E. White)

A day in the office

Because of the culinary and monetary riches these filter-feeding ‘truffles of the sea’ (as they are sometimes called locally) offer at market, divers make the most of any bout of milder weather to hunt for them.

“Even a bad day on the sea is better than a good day in the office,” said Fernando Damas (pictured), a percebes diver who quit his lucrative career as an industrial designer 19 years ago to dive for percebes full time. “The ocean is full of wonderful surprises.” (Credit: Tim E. White)

A dangerous business

On the Costa Vicentina, the saying goes: “Never turn your back on God when you dive for Lucifer’s fingers.” João Rosário, a commercial diver explains that, in this case, God refers to the might of the sea. “When you dive for percebes and you turn your back on the unpredictability of the ocean, you will most likely be injured or killed,” he said. “There are many cases of divers being knocked unconscious and drowning. The ‘lucky ones’ get away with breaking an arm or leg or suffering abrasions where the rocks cut through their wetsuits.” (Credit: Tim E. White)

Different schools of thought

Percebes can be reached by climbing down the cliffs or diving from a boat. There’s little consensus over which technique is the least dangerous. Those who climb down 100m cliffs by rope to chisel the barnacles off the cliff face at low tide run the risk of a fall or being crushed against rocks by the breaking waves. The alternative is to anchor a safe distance from the cliffs when the tide is slightly higher, and then swim towards the cliff face, timing each effort to chisel off the percebes to the rhythm of the ocean. (Credit: Tim E. White)

The necessity of teamwork

Percebes divers work in pairs for safety reasons, and you need to trust your partner with your life, said Damas, who has been diving with his younger diving partner Tiago Craca for more than six years. They make a perfect team, sharing decisions on when it is safe enough to go out to dive and when to call it a day. 

“He is half my age and has already saved my life,” Damas said. “That day, my head was full of other thoughts. You can’t be worrying about things – it’s dangerous if you lose focus. I did not see a large swell and my foot got stuck in a crevice. Luckily Tiago realised that I’d been underwater too long and came looking for me.” (Credit: Tim E. White)

A regulated industry

In Portugal, percebes hunting is highly regulated, and all diving activities are controlled from the town of Villa do Bispo (pictured), home to the Associacao Dos Marisqueiros Da Vila Do Bispo, Portugal’s percebes association. Only 80 diving licenses are issued each year, with most of the divers living here or in the nearby coastal town of Sagres. The local fish market in Sagres is the only place where divers are legally allowed to sell the barnacles to restaurant owners and suppliers. The daily harvest is restricted to 15kg per diver, with prices reaching between €30 and €60/kg depending on the quality and size of the percebes, according to Paulo Barata, president of the association. (Credit: Tim E. White)

‘Our ATM in the sea’

Despite strict regulations, the poaching of percebes remains rife; it’s a lucrative business and the marine police cannot patrol everywhere. It’s also a secretive business, and not even the licensed divers share where they have dived or plan to dive next because of the rarity of the delicacy.

One poacher at the fish market in the coastal town of Portimão, 55km east of Sagres, spoke his mind: “I don’t care about the rules. The Costa Vicentina belongs to the people – not the government. The percebes are our ATM in the sea. We have the right to withdraw our money.” (Credit: Tim E. White)

No cutlery required

It’s fair to ask what all the fuss is about; but tasting percebes more than answers the question. Imagine a lazy afternoon on a beach holiday: the sun is starting to set and a light breeze ushers in the scent of the ocean. That’s the taste of percebes.

And there’s only one way to eat the devil’s fingers – with your own fingers, said Sergio Meudes, manager at Marisqueira Azul restaurant in Lisbon, where percebes appear on the menu when available. You need to firmly grab hold of the colourful claw of the barnacle and then rip the fleshy meat from the rubbery neck. “The next part is easy – eat it!” he said. (Credit: Tim E. White)

Only one way to prepare

There’s an overwhelming consensus among the Portuguese that there’s only one way to cook percebes properly: in boiling salted water for no longer than it takes to say the Lord’s Prayer. “Even if you pray slowly, it should never take more than a minute,” said Adriano Lemes, Marisqueira Azul’s chef. “Then spoon it onto ice to terminate the cooking process. Don’t add any spices and especially not any sauce,” he stressed.

And don’t dare mention the fact that British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay once served percebes in a creamy sauce. The locals within earshot will throw their arms in the air and shout out sayings such as ‘falando como um verdadeiro idiota’, which is loosely translated as, “what an idiot!” (Credit: Tim E. White)

Article written by BBC Travel

BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS LISBON, CASCAIS AND SINTRA

AZENHAS DO MAR

If you're eating some barnacles at this restaurant and you think you've never eaten them so fresh in your life, that's quite possible. It is the owner himself, João Pedro, who picks them up on the local rocks. And, as you know, they grow there, and well, thanks to the choppy sea of the region. So choppy, incidentally, that is able to refresh with splashes who choose the balcony of the restaurant to enjoy the (excellent) seafood offer.

Adress: Piscina das Azenhas do Mar, Colares (Sintra)

FURNAS DO GUINCHO

It will probably be the best restaurant in Estrada do Guincho - if we don't count Fortaleza, which plays in another championship. And it has this status by a set of factors. Beginning with the beautiful space, both inside and out, following the attentive and efficient service and ending with the raw material of very high quality, coming in many cases from the restaurant's own nurseries, located in the middle of the rocks surrounding the esplanade.

Adress: Estrada do Guincho (Cascais)

MAR DO INFERNO

Unlike its neighbors of Cascais and Guincho, the restaurant Mar do Inferno continues to have a relaxed and familiar atmosphere, because of the hosts: Lourdes Tirano and the the sons knows how to receive and advise those who visit them, whether they are new or longtime clients. And there is plenty to talk about, such is the daily supply of the house. The local seafood is always advisable. There are good clams, Algarve canopies and Berlengas barnacles that sometimes reach impressive dimensions.

Adress: Avenida Rei Humberto II de Itália, Boca do Inferno (Cascais)

NUNES REAL MARISQUEIRA

Great draft beer, great fresh fish and seafood, good seafood variety.

Adress: Rua Bartolomeu Dias, 120 (Belém), Lisboa

PINÓQUIO

It is in an area where tourist restaurants rival in numbers with tuk tuk, but have never let themselves into the temptation of easy business. Therefore, it continues to focus on quality and serve the typical and boquia clams of Ria Formosa steamed in a coffee maker with garlic and coriander. Who does not like to have work to crabs, has here one of those places where it already comes all prepared, you just need to eat.

Adress: Praça dos Restauradores, 79, Lisboa

RAMIRO

It is by many considered the best brewery in Lisbon, and the constant queues at the door, from 6pm onwards, give you at least good arguments to discuss the statute. Ramiro has qualities similar to those already listed elsewhere in this list - a raw material of exceptional quality and variety - but it adds a very effective and attentive service: barely a last drink in the imperial one soon arrives immediately at the table. It looks like magic.

Adress: Avenida Almirante Reis, 1H (Anjos), Lisboa

MARISQUEIRA DO LIS

He may not be so popular as his neighbor Ramiro, but on the other hand, he does not have the waiting lines either. And that is a very important advantage. Count on fresh seafood, well-brewed beer and a great "prego" - Beef sandwich.

Adress: Avenida Almirante Reis, 27B (Anjos), Lisboa