This year, our Lisbon team was busy exploring place both near and far. Correspondent Austin Bush, who moved to the city almost two years ago, has been able to go deeper – and farther – in his pursuit of food as his Portuguese improves. As a result, the dishes, ingredients and drinks that most excited him this year included those outside of Lisbon, or were things that he wasn’t previously aware of, or that took a bit more work to find, and as a result, they were that much more rewarding. Lisbon bureau chief and lead guide Célia Pedroso, meanwhile, managed to explore the world without leaving the Portuguese capital, savoring flavors from Angola and Goa, while also returning to some local classic Portuguese spots that, year after year, continue to provide her with unforgettable culinary memories.
New is old in Lisbon
I generally prefer older, “traditional” restaurants. That’s why I was so surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed the less-than-one-year-old Antiga Camponesa, in Lisbon. Opened by André Magalhães, the chef/owner behind the Lisbon contemporary classic, Taberna da Rua das Flores and Quiosque de São Paulo, the restaurant has Portuguese gastronomy at its core but isn’t afraid to go in slightly different, smart, subtle, delicious directions.
The menu changes on a weekly basis, and just everything I’ve eaten there has been exceptional, but I suspect that I’m most grateful for the regular appearance of a vegetable-centered dish, a relative rarity in Portugal. – Austin Bush
Luso Couscous
In Portugal’s far north, people make something called cuscus, a take on couscous and a dish allegedly brought to the remote region by Jews who were seeking refuge from religious persecution during the time of the Inquisition. It’s something I’d only ever read about in cookbooks until this March, when I had my first meal at the wonderful Porto restaurant Stramuntana. Lídia and Fernando, the chef-owners, both natives of the north, told me it’s made from a special grain of wheat, prepared via a time-consuming process that’s similar to how pasta is made. At Stramuntana, the pair serve it in rich broth, simmered until just short of melting, and pair it with some delicious northern sausage and smoked meats. With their warm, family-like style of service, and the grill in the dining room crackling, it was one of those meals that linked history and place as much as taste. – Austin Bush
On the Road: Tasting the World’s Best Booze in Madeira
In June, I made my first trip to Madeira. The island’s fortified wines were already on my radar, and I was a big fan, but I wasn’t quite ready for the tasting session at Barbeito. There was more deliciousness than my brain was able to compute, but of the 10 or so bottles, a highlight was verdelho from 1995 that was an impossible combination of varnish, citrus and spice aromas — one of those drinks that’s as pleasant to sniff as it is to taste. – Austin Bush
Peniche’s Fatty Fish
It was at Tasca do Joel, in Peniche, on Portugal’s coast, where I first encountered cherne, which Google tells me is known in English as Atlantic wreckfish. It was the richest, fattiest fish I’ve ever encountered, and sprinkled with salt and grilled, served with a wedge of lemon, it was yet another illustration of the beautiful simplicity of Portuguese cooking. – Austin Bush
Goan Style Chilli Garlic Squid at Gunpowder
Harneet Baweja and Nirmat Save, the founder and chef of Gunpowder, respectively, have clearly tapped into the love for fish and seafood in Lisbon. My favorite dish here is the perfectly cooked squid with peppers and garlic. “Squid tossed in garlic, kokum, peppers and onions,” says the menu, and it has plenty of each ingredient but without overshadowing the fish.
This dish, a small plate meant for sharing, follows Gunpowder’s theme of highlighting the food from the West Coast of India (Mumbai, Goa and beyond) and its connections with Portugal. It’s bright, spicy and perfectly seasoned. It’s easy to share, too, but I could finish one on my own… – Célia Pedroso
Kitaba, an Angolan Snack to Share
The same goes for kitaba, an addictive peanut snack prepared at Casa de Angola (The House of Angola), a restaurant and cultural center near Largo do Rato founded in 1971 by Angolan students. Kitaba, usually served as a starter, is as simple as it is delicious: jinguba (roasted peanuts), a bit of jindungo (piripiri, the ubiquitous local hot sauce) and a pinch of salt. The result is a paste with a wonderful texture and flavor, something you can’t stop eating until the peito alto (a beef dish) or moamba (a chicken stew with okra) arrive at your table, cooked by the experienced hands of chef Paulo Soares. This meal was particularly memorable as it was part of a special trip about the African foodways found in Lisbon that Culinary Backstreets led this past year for students from Food Studies department at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Twelve enthusiastic students and two professors had the pleasure of hearing local chef André Magalhães share about Angolan food, while José Lino of cultural organization Batoto Yetu spoke with us about African history in Lisbon. The kitaba was served cut into squares on a round small plate, and fueled the initial conversations about the amazing cuisine of Angola – and subsequent ones that went farther and deeper. – Célia Pedroso
Perfect Pancakes
On the sweeter side of life – which in Portugal is just as important as the savory – I can’t forget Sauvage Gourmet, a small new café in Almada (on the south bank of Lisbon). It was here that I tasted the glorious combination of pancakes with syrup and ovos moles (an egg-and-sugar custard) topped with a generous amount of fresh fios de ovos (wispy threads of spun and cooked egg yolks, almost like angel hair noodles). This dessert takes the traditional ingredients of Portuguese convent sweets (egg yolks and sugar) and presents them in a modern way: via pancakes. As a result, this “Panqueca de fios de ovos” is a delicious surprise and absolutely worth taking the ferry or the train to Almada (Sauvage Gourmet serves savory pancakes and creative sandwiches as well). At this year’s Restaurant Competition of Almada (Concurso Gastronómico de Almada), Fabio and Tatiana, the couple who runs this cozy café, got three awards, including one for this dessert. – Célia Pedroso
Beachside Strawberry Pavlova
Finally, on one of Culinary Backstreets’ six-day trips in Lisbon, we visited Praia da Adraga, a family-run beach restaurant with more than 100 years of history. The dessert I always order here might not be quite that old, but is always consistent, especially in the spring and summer: the strawberry pavlova. I find this dish to be a sort of cross between a regular pavlova and several classic strawberry desserts, perhaps because it has more merengue than the typical pavlova, making it so fresh and light. A strawberry syrup brings the dessert together beautifully, and you’ll find room for it even if you’re stuffed from all the seafood goodness. With the Atlantic showing off in front of you, what more can you ask for to finish a sublime meal? – Célia Pedroso
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