Page 222 - WDT MAGAZINE IRELAND ISSUE WINTER 2018

Évora Bone Chapel - photo credit Paulo Ribeiro
Middle: Riu Picaveu assembles a cowbell .
Opposite: Estremoz clay figures and traditional
herb soup with bread

like hats, handbags, baskets, coasters and even post- own specialties, such as egg-yolk based desserts or
cards. “Cork is Portugal’s biggest industry and exports bacalhau dourado, a fish dish of cod mixed with eggs
account for about 70 percent of the entire world trade”, and fries which was invented in Elvas in 1947.
says guide Luis Ribeiro de Fonseca. Throughout the Just like the dishes they complement, the wines of
summer months, axes can be heard in the montados Alentejo are rustic and rural, yet with a hint of style
(cork oak woodlands) of the Alentejo before the trees and substance. The distinct characteristics of the
begin their nine-year-long process of regenerating their soils according to area (limestone, schist, and granite),
corky cladding. the long hours of exposure to the sun and a group of
Although some landowners have become very selected grape varieties enable high-quality production.
wealthy thanks to the cork trees, the region is one of Alentejo is known for its red blends, easy drinkers, rich
the poorest in Western Europe. As a result, the tradi- and fruity, which have made their way into the restau-
tional cuisine is very simple and based on local fresh rants of Lisbon and the world.
ingredients which grow in abundance in the fertile sur- To visit Alentejo feels like charting undiscovered ter-
roundings. The food consists mostly of soups, meat, ritory, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
fish and bread flavored with home-grown herbs like Instead of big hotel complexes, owner-operated B&Bs,
coriander, mint, and olive oil. Many towns have their often down some dirt tracks in the countryside or in

222 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018