On The Write Path

🇵🇹 Pasteis, pão e polvo

SantaBee and Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ 2025 This is the 5th entry for

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The Bard's Hall Contest  (13+) DECEMBER is HOLIDAY RUSH: Shape Poetry Prompt! #981150 by SantaBee

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🇵🇹 Pasteis, pão e polvo

...salada de polvo

I really love a proper octopus salad. I tried three times at a restaurant in Lagos where I ate it years ago. Finally found it elsewhere.

Portugal is known for seafood (mariscos): mussels, barnacles, clams, squid, cuttlefish, sardines... most everything. Saw seagulls feasting on squid/cuttlefish at the beach.

I love the Alentejo mix of clams and pork (past trips). This trip I didn't feel well much of the time so I had no appetite. But I did get grilled sardines in Lagos and sushi in Lisboa.

Plus, I ate a big breakfast every chance I could get (4 of 7 hostels; 21 of 30 days).

Typical Portuguese breakfast: ham, cheese and bread (pão), coffee and orange juice.

I had yogurt, blackberry jam, pumpkin jam, and croissants at "In My House" in Castro Verde; at "The Independente" in Lisboa: cake and fruit (kiwi, pears, banana), croissants and cereal and hot milk for coffee; "Old Evora Hostel" in Evora also had yogurt... and fresh squeezed lemon juice. "Horta Grande" in Silves didn't include breakfast, but it sits surrounded by orchards... so fresh oranges, lemons and nisperos.

I like a good juicy bifana (sliced pork sandwich), and found great ones in Lisboa and Faro. Döner kebab (stuffed pita) filled me up in Lisboa and Silves. Evelyn took me out to dinner in Faro and I ordered cod and shrimp (a traditional winter-holiday dish).

Pasteis (pastries) are either sweet (doce) or savory (salgado). Mil folhos was too much and too sweet in Evora, duck and leitão pastries in Silves weren't. I really liked the pasteis de feijão (beans) in Faro.

Ate gelado, lemon-basil and pumpkin-cheesecake with nuts, in Evora

and I had asparagus and mushrooms with egg while listening to fado.

German cheesecake bought at Lidl in Silves was satisfying and reminded me of my childhood and Pão de Ló (sponge cake) from Pingo Doce filled me up in Lisboa.

Too bad I was sick much of the tip. Portugal does well with pastries, pork and fish and it's known for sumo de laranja (orange juice).

~350 words

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