Alentejo: a taste trail
To truly discover the unique character of the Alentejo, you need to experience the true art of its cuisine. Mixing exquisite dishes, authentic traditional produce, sweet-smelling kitchen gardens and cookery classes, we will take a deliciously enjoyable journey through a unique culture and landscape that is as drenched today in the aromas of its extraordinary wines as it has always been.
Programme
On the morning of our second day, we visit the royal palace of Vila Viçosa, once home to the Portuguese royal hunt. In the kitchen – one of the palace’s most emblematic rooms – we see how popular dishes received touches of refinement before being served at the tables of the nobility. King Dom Carlos, a great politician and diplomat, was also an artist who particularly appreciated the culinary arts – so much so that he used to decorate his menus with paintings for special banquets.
For lunch, we will be received at a magnificent baroque villa, fragrant with history and now responsible for producing an excellent local wine.
In the afternoon, we begin our programme of cookery lessons, these taking place at a traditional farm set in the midst of a magnificent landscape. Margarida, the owner, is a famous cook who will guide us in the culinary arts of Alentejo. In the colder months, we will make the most of traditional cookery using an open fire. On hot days, a porch with a view over the gardens and plains will be the special spot chosen for our lessons. Our host adores telling stories about traditional local cookery and the produce used in its unique confection. With her, we will learn to make soups, ‘açordas’, meat dishes and fish dishes in a manner immersed in the local culinary culture. Our day ends in a relaxed manner with us relishing an exquisite dinner prepared in conjunction with the day’s culinary discoveries.
On the third day, our taste experience begins at the bustling market in Estremoz, where we go to fetch the ingredients for our afternoon lesson. Here, too, Margarida will guide us among the various produce sellers to find vegetables of the season and a variety of local produce made according to longstanding traditions. After our market visit, we head to an adega responsible for producing superb wines. Then, on sunny days, we can take lunch in the form of a sophisticated picnic. If the season or weather makes this less desirable, traditional flavours will await us in a typical local restaurant instead.
In mid-afternoon, our second cookery lesson begins in the kitchen garden, where we venture to find the aromatic herbs so important to the dishes of Alentejo. In this region, cookery is an ‘art of circumstances’ – a sort of union between the region’s soil, it’s seasonal climate and the individual characteristics of its produce. This lesson will introduce us to special methods authentic to the regional culture, giving us the chance to take a culinary journey very different from the norm.
On the last day, on our way back to Lisbon, we make a diversion to the village of Evoramonte to wander among its labyrinthine white streets and alleys. From the ramparts at the foot of a proud castle, we can marvel at the magnificent countryside that surrounds us as far as the eye can see. Our next stop is a 15th-century convent that provides a fascinating example of ancient heritage restored by contemporary architecture. Here, the whiteness of the limestone, the stunning interior tiles and the wonderful views all conspire to create an appetite all of their own… for a swift return.
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Prices
- 4-day tour departing from Lisbon
- Price per person from € 924Group of 8 people
- Single supplement of € 166
The Tour includes
- 3 nights at Historic Pousadas
- Breakfast daily, 2 lunches & 3 dinners (water,wine and coffee included)
- Private transportation
- Full accompaniment by tour leader
- Cooking classes
- All entrance fees
- Guided wine tastings
The Tour does NOT include
- Air travel tickets
- Beverages not included in the meals
- Meals not shown in the price panel for each tour
- Items of personal expenditure (e.g. telephone calls, laundry, etc)
- Gratuities to guides and drivers
- Personal travel insurance
- Visa cost where applicable
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