This month, I travelled to Lisbon for a long weekend with my husband and on the first day we joined a tour to get a glimpse of the fascinating historical and ancient Lisbon. The Mouraria Food and Culture Tour with Taste of Lisboa is a great way to get off the beaten track, get to know the city and local gastronomy.
Taste in Travel
Taste in travel is something I am very passionate about. I believe that learning about gastronomy is a way to learn about the local culture. I enjoy every aspect of travelling, but my favourite part is always getting to know about local recipes and ingredients. So of course my travel planning starts with searching for the most authentic dishes in every destination I visit. There is nothing more satisfying than finding an amazing meal. That’s why I always try to join a food tour and let the local guides lead me to the discovery of their own cuisine.
Lisbon Food Tour
We met our guide Miguel in downtown Lisbon and for our first stop we walked to a traditional Portuguese deli (manteigaria) to learn about Portugal’s obsession with codfish and about local charcuterie and wine.
The next stop was at a bar (cantinho) to taste green wine (Vinho Verde is a young wine, usually consumed soon after bottling) and the best codfish cakes ever: flavourful on the inside, crunchy on the inside.
We couldn’t miss the bifana – a sandwich with thinly sliced slow-cooked pork meat and Portugal’s most popular fast food.
Miguel led us into the Mouraria, one of the few neighborhoods that were not destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, and the cradle of fado music. As beautiful as nearby Alfama but less touristy, Mouraria still retains an authentic atmosphere.
My favourite stop of the tour was Jasmin, a tiny bar in the heart of Mouraria, where we tasted sardines and ginja, a portuguese liqueur with infused sour cherries.
We also stopped at a Mozambique restaurant to try samosas. Mozambique used to be a Portuguese overseas territory and many Goans moved there from India after Goa gained independence from Portugal.
This was an unusual and interesting stop, and I really enjoyed tasting the delicious Mozambique samosas with red chilli sauce.
After a tasting of Port wines in one of Lisbon’s best stocked wine shops…
The tour ended at Confeitaria Nacional, the oldest confectionery in the city open since 1829. We ordered espresso and pastéis de nata, the famous Portuguese custard egg tarts. Every tourist goes to Belem to try the original ones (and rightly so), but definitely try these if you are looking for a quick tart fix while exploring in the city centre.
The food and culture walking tour lasted around 4 hours and it was the perfect introduction to the city, food and lifestyle of Lisbon.
Disclaimer: I was a guest of Taste of Lisboa. All opinions are my own.
[…] of my highlights of Lisbon was the walking food tour organised by a local company called Lisbon Food Tour. It was a fantastic way to discover Lisbon’s and Portugal’s best food and drinks. I […]
That tour looks tasty! We’ve been thinking about going to Lisbon for a while… in fact it has taken us so long that they have even cancelled the flight line that connected Bremen to Lisbon. Ugh.
That Twitter chat sounds really interesting, I’ll try to make it! But I do open an exhibition on Thursday so… it’s going to be difficult. But I’ll try!