AWOL: Iberia
Posted on 14 July 2009
Apologies for not posting in a while. We here at TDI had the last-second opportunity for a much needed vacation and decided to jump on it. The Iberian peninsula…Spain and Portugal for a couple weeks. We had a fabulous trip filled with great food, wonderful drinks, late nights and great times.
Huge thanks and love to our wonderful hosts C & G in Lisbon. That’s definitely the place I miss the most, thanks to you. But don’t get me wrong…we loved it all. The list is long and distinguished, but I will try to briefly mention some of the highlights. The perfect weather and more perfect tapas in Barcelona. Tasting vintage port near the river in Porto, Portugal. The stunning museums and artwork in Madrid. Watching the sun set into the Atlantic at the westernmost point in Europe. Castle visits in Sintra, Portugal. A night filled with wine and Fado music in Lisbon. The Boqueria Market in Barcelona (the best open-air market I have ever seen…a foodies dream). The coffee…everywhere. Celebrating Leila’s birthday with an outstanding dinner followed by us drinking absinthe in a 200+ year old bar in Barcelona until 3am. Good times. I can’t list everything, but TDI highly recommends that you all take a trip over there at some point.
I guess I owe a few words about the food and booze…as that is the main focus of this here blog. I was able to try a few things I wanted to mention. First up, I got to sample ginjinha for the first time. Ginjinha is a Portuguese liqueur that is made from ginja berries infused with alcohol and sugar. Since the ginja is a kind of sour cherry, it has a flavor leaning that way, but also tastes lightly of cinnamon. It might take some getting used to for newbies, but the locals love it. There are small stands all over where for about 1€ you get a small plastic cup of the stuff. Around lunchtime, you should see the crowds of old men in the squares happily sipping from said cups. Alas, I wasn’t able to bring a bottle back with me…maybe next time.
One bottle I do hope to get my hands on soon is that of some handmade grappa we had at a restaurant in Lisbon. Our hosts are regulars and the owners of the place insisted on giving us free glasses after our meals (even at lunch). One glass led to two glasses which led to…let’s just say we all loved it. They get it in extremely small batches in unlabled bottles and damn is it tasty. My sources have assured me that one is on it’s way. Yum.
If you are ever in Barcelona, please stop by the above mentioned Boquereia Market. A complete sensory experience. Whatever you want, they have it. Aside from the amazing seafood we had, the most exciting meal was definitely the “porco preto”. It means “black pig” in Portuguese and is specific to only one type of pig. Black in color, these pigs live in the Alentejo region of Portugal and are allowed to roam free across the countryside. Thier diets consist of mainly acorns and some chestnuts which gives their meat an amazing taste. Without question, this was the best pork I have ever had. I think I ordered it at least three or four times. I’m getting hungry just typing about it. Time to move on.
We were able to visit a few of the port wineries in Porto, Portugal. If it’s not made in Porto, it can’t be called port. We took a tour and I know my knowledge of the process is much better. Did you know that all port grapes are grown only in one region of Portugal and that most are still crushed by human feet? We sampled both dry (white) and sweet (ruby) port as well as a few of the older vintages…nice. The bottles we picked up didn’t even last until the end of the trip. Sigh. At least now I know what I want to try next.
Last, but not least I was able to procure a bottle of aged Cuban rum in Spain. Screw you, embargo. Oh so good. If you’re still reading, I hope to get back to posting more often. Once the jet-lag monkey gets off my back I’ll get back in the groove. As always after a vacation, and all too quickly, the real world is now calling. I must reluctantly answer.
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