Trivia: Did you know that bacalhau is the national dish of Portugal?
When people think of Portugal, they not only think of port wine, alcove beaches in the Algarve (was here in 2005) and the Fatima pilgrimage, they think of bacalhau as well. That’s dried and salted cod fish.
Bacalhau is an indispensable ingredient in the Portuguese cuisine. During national and religious holidays (Christmas and Easter for example), mothers and grandmothers whip up in the kitchen their favourite traditional bacalhau recipe. This dish is like religion to the Portuguese, it is so steeped in tradition that many families nowadays still live up to the culinary practice. Interestingly, there are just about 1,001 ways to cook this dried salted fish!
Don Tonho at the Gaia
Website: Don Tonho (choose language and then click Gaia)
Now, I have been to Portugal a few times but have never really tried the bacalhau. I asked this myself many times and I don’t really understand why I have not tasted this? So this time, I made sure to order a simple bacalhau dish for my 2nd dinner in Porto.
After the port cave tour and tasting, followed by a fado musical evening at Calem, I conveniently crossed the street to the boulevard park (beside Don Tonho restaurant) savouring the beautiful evening panorama of Porto before stepping inside the restaurant. There are 2 Don Tonho restaurants in the city by the way, one in Porto and the other one in Vila Nova de Gaia (also known by the locals as Gaia). I went to the Gaia branch located just across Calem because the restaurant is housed in a glass pavilion with spectacular views to the Dom Luis I Bridge and Porto’s beautiful Riviera.
These days when I am dining while travelling, I am not only into the food, but the view, the location and the interior design as well. I am a sucker for these.
Bacalhau dinner
I ordered the bacalhau drenched in oil with sautéed onions on top and some whole olives, and boiled potatoes and broccoli on the side. I think this is the ‘Bacalhau a lagareiro’. To taste, I added some white balsamic vinegar. The young verde wine (green wine) is best paired with this.
Bacalhau is often served with boiled potatoes, as with fish and meat dishes in Portugal. See my first night dinner in Porto here: An evening stroll on Liberdade Square and my first seafood dinner in Porto
Did I like the bacalhau dish? Well, it was quite good but I had the feeling that bacalhau is one of those dishes that requires practice—it is an acquired taste.
The fish of course tastes different compared to a fresh cod fish from the oven, grill or pan. Bacalhau has a deep and concentrated flavour and the texture is chewy, but I can also see and understand why this preserved fish is a hit in the country. If I live in Portugal (and this knowing that I have a salty tongue) it is just a matter of time when I become hooked to this. Definitely.
Service was good at Don Tonho. The waiter attending to me was really friendly who spoke very good English and complimenting my choice of dish. He said, ‘Bacalhau is very traditional!’ Yes, I know =)
Bacalhau, up close
I don’t have a nice picture from Portugal of the dried and salted fish (the before being cooked photo), but I have one here that I took in Barcelona, Spain in 2007 at the Boqueria Market. If you want to read and see more pictures of my visit to this market, go here: The sights, sounds and smell of La Bouqueria
Lovely views while dining at Don Tonho
Lemonade as my sober nightcap
After dinner I walked back to Porto old town stopping by at Guarany Cafe. Because of my port tasting stint (5 glasses!), beer for lunch, 1 glass of white wine for dinner and the salty Bacalhau, my body was craving for fluids. I have to rehydrate myself! I settled at the outside terrace of the cafe and ordered a lemonade.
In Portugal when you order a lemonade drink, they really give you a freshly squeezed lemon extract, some ice cubes, sugar and a little bottle of mineral water. You mix them all together yourself and voila, you now have a lemonade.
Now the lemonade was not enough to quench my dehydrated body, so I bought a liter of mineral water from the hotel and made it as my bed side companion =)
Travel Period: April 2013
Destination: Vila Nova de Gaia (Grande Porto – Porto), Portugal
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)