ENJOY PORTUGAL AND ALL IT CAN GIVE

Text by Pan Photos by Pan, Portugal Tourism Board & VCG Translation by Madeline Weng

ENJOY PORTUGAL AND ALL IT CAN GIVE

Text by Pan Photos by Pan, Portugal Tourism Board & VCG Translation by Madeline Weng

Appreciate the beautiful sights along the banks of the River Douro, Porto.在波尔图，你可以登上一艘游船，欣赏杜罗河沿岸的老房子。

Warm sunshine, beautiful coastlines, and outgoing people –this is Portugal, a country you can see, feel and taste.

葡萄牙自然的馈赠

阳光的热情，海岸的澎湃，南欧人的直爽，这是你能看见的葡萄牙，也是你能尝到的葡萄牙。

1. Signature products of Mendes Gon•alves sauce factory.Mendes Gon•alves 酱料厂的王牌系列产品，地道葡萄牙厨房滋味。

2. Why not have a glass of orange juice after visiting Jeronimos Monastery?参观完热罗尼莫斯修道院，不妨来一大杯鲜榨橙汁，再走去贝伦塔吹吹风。

“You've got to try our egg tarts and sardines! These two Portuguese dishes are magic! They can lift your mood.” On the way to Lisbon city from the airport, I listened to the enthusiastic introduction by my driver, while I felt the sea breeze caressing me under the sunlight in early September.

And this is how our story of Portugal began…with the hunting for the magical food.

Pass on the Tradition

Lisbon's Belem district gathers this city's countless cultural heritages: Jeronimos Monastery, an architectural masterpiece of the medieval period; the Monastery of the Hieronymites, where navigator Vasco da Gama long rests; and Torre de Belem, witness of the rise and falls of Portugal's golden age of sailing…and also, an egg tart shop you cannot miss.

The fi rst Portuguese egg tart was created in Pastéis de BelŽm, in 1837. And now, PastŽis de BelŽm has become one of the most popular restaurants in Portugal. There is always a long queue outside whenever you go.

When it was my turn, I got the freshest made batch. When I took a bite of one, I was surprised to fi nd how smooth and soft the inner side is, which created a wonderful contrast to its crispy skin.

How many steps does an egg tart need to go through before it fi nds you? I found an answer in a bakery called Panidor. First, the chief rolled the wrappers, fi lled it into the mould, before he stuffed it with materials and put it into the oven. “Food has life” is the creed for this family workshop. They told me: “Take egg tarts for example, every step of the procedure requires strict handling, because every egg tart counts.”

Traditional Portuguese food industry is made up of Family businesses like the Panidor. Portuguese people are good at turning home-made delicacies into international buffet.

“One day, a father asked his 15-year-old son: ‘Hey,what do you say that we turn our sauce workshop into a factory?' This sauce workshop is the factory you see right now.” I heard this story while I stood in Mendes Gon•alves Sauce Factory. The factory now uses highly automatic facilities to produce vinegar,onion sauce, capsical etc… However, the key recipe that the father and son invented many years ago remains unchanged.

When I came out of the street, I saw two horse riders passing by leisurely. It turned out this city is also called “horse town”. Horses have the same rights as vehicles, and can walk on streets. Every December, the locals hold a one-week-long horse exhibition, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people to watch the game, pick horses or exchange experiences.

Straight From the Ocean

Ribeira Square sits in the city centre of Porto. The architectures on the plaza vary in colours and shapes, creating a uniquely vivid landscape.You can take a cruise at the end of the pier, and appreciate the beautiful sights along the banks,such as the old houses decorated with pottery paintings, a gothic church, as well as Ponte de Dom Luis I Ð a grand iron bridge standing across River Douro.

“你必须尝尝蛋挞与沙丁鱼，这两样葡萄牙特产有着让人快乐的魔力。”从机场到里斯本市区的路上，伴随着9月初伊比利亚半岛带有暖意的阳光与海风，接车司机自豪地向我介绍起他的国家。

我们的葡萄牙故事，便从寻找这些魔力食物开始。

传统，一种延续

中世纪登峰造极建筑代表，航海家达伽马的长眠地热罗尼莫斯修道院，见证了葡萄牙大航海黄金时代的贝伦塔……贝伦区云集着里斯本的文化遗产，以及，一家不可错过的葡挞店。

1837年，世界上第一个葡挞在PastŽis de BelŽm诞生。如今，这里是葡萄牙最知名的餐饮店之一，无论何时去，店门口总有长长的等候队伍。轮到我时，正好赶上一批葡挞新鲜出炉，咬上一口，酥脆的外皮与顺滑的挞心带来美妙的反差碰撞。

一个葡挞在与你相遇前需要经历多少步骤？我在Panidor糕饼厂里找到了答案。在它的食品流水线上，我陪伴着原材料们，经历了擀皮、装模、制馅、烘焙直至成品出炉的全过程。“食品是有生命力的”是这家从家庭作坊发展起来的食品企业的信条。“以蛋挞为例，每一步都有着严谨的操作，一点温差都不能有，因为每一个蛋挞都很重要。”负责人向我介绍道。

家族企业，也是葡萄牙传统食品制造业的传统，他们擅长将家庭厨房里的美味秘方变成可以流通全球的国际美食。“有一天，父亲问15岁的儿子，‘嘿，我们要不要把家里的酱料坊做成一个工厂’。35年后，这个作坊便发展成了你现在站的这一大片厂区。”在Mendes Gon•alves酱料厂里，我再一次听到了这样的故事。如今，厂里使用自动化机器出品醋、洋葱酱、辣椒油等调味料，但配方的核心，依然是当年小作坊里的灵感。

走出酱料厂，在小镇的街道上，两个骑马的人从我眼前悠悠地走过。原来这里是葡萄牙一处特别的“马镇”，马儿拥有和车辆一样的权利，可以在道路上畅通行走。每年11月，当为期一周的马展举办时，这个仅有3000人的小镇会涌入几十万来客，看比赛、挑选马匹、交流资讯，不亦乐乎。

它们来自海洋

里贝拉广场，位于波尔图市中心，广场上的建筑凌乱而多彩，充满自成一派的生机。在广场尽头的码头，你可以登上一艘游船，全景式欣赏沿岸装饰着陶瓷画的老房子，哥特式的教堂与横亘在杜罗河上的雄伟铁桥——路易一世大桥。

如果沿着河流的方向一路向海，便能到达世代波尔图人捕鱼的地方。在这个海岸线绵长的国度，航海与捕鱼业是葡萄牙人的生命线。

Freshly baked tarts, soft inside and crispy outside.新鲜出炉的葡挞，外皮烘烤感浓厚，内馅柔滑。

1. This Sardine Shop at Rocio plaza, Lisbon sells cans with the year-numbers.里斯本罗西欧广场的沙丁鱼专卖点，这里的罐头上印有年份数字，可以送给那一年出生的人当礼物。

2. Wine tasting at Taylor's Port Wine.Taylor's Port Wine葡萄酒厂坐落在半山腰，日落时分在品酒室尝试经典出品。

If you head towards the sea, you could reach where generations of people in Porto fi sh. Fishing and sailing have been the bloodline for a nation that enjoys a long coastline.

In a restaurant by the riverside, I tasted the local Sardine for the fi rst time. The grilled fi sh was tender and soft, with its skin slightly scorched. A few drops of olive oil brought out its sweetness even more.

The Portuguese dinner table enjoys a long list of local seafood, such as Cod, cuttlefi sh, sea eel,shellfi sh and much more. Apart from freshly made seafood dishes, the locals also produce excellent fi sh cans to sell abroad.

There seems to be an aura of sea taste inside factory “Ramirez”, which was established in 1853. The factory is the oldest canned seafood maker in Portugal. I was lucky enough to see its whole assembly line, in which a team of female workers quickly prepared the sardines. Like magic,a batch of sardines only took a few seconds to be assembled, before it goes to the next stop. With the help of modern machines, the freshness of seafood can now be best preserved. I opened a can of cuttlefi sh, and found that the fi sh meat still tasted fresh; on top of its original taste, it had a delicate fl avour of spiciness.

Have a toast!

Perhaps the person who translated the word“Portugal” into Chinese had actually done some research. Its Chinese version “pu tao ya” not only sounds like its original pronunciation, but also includes the word “pu tao”, meaning grapes.

The Porto district in Portugal has a fantastic space for growing grapes and wine brewing. With a warm and dry environment, this place continues to bring forth sweet grapes. My fi rst sip of Quinta da Aveleda tastes like summer. After a round of vinho verde, this vinho verde is still my favourite. “It is actually one of the most classic products in Aveleda Chateau. It has a sense of balance, and is able to activate all your sense organs. It has achieved good results from many World Expos in a row,” explained the wine expert.

With a full view of Porto old town, I tasted a few classic wines by a window in Taylor's, while I enjoyed the beautiful sunset shining on Porto Old Town. I tasted “Chip Dry”, which has a fl avour fresh and sweet as a maiden's smile; then I tried the “Late Bottled vintage 2012”, which took me by surprise, with a feeling of explosiveness; I also indulged myself in the rich relish of “10 Year Old Tawny”, which is simply an ideal model of aging wine.

“Saœde (Cheers)!”

A typical Portugal street.典型的葡萄牙街。

在河边的餐厅，我第一次尝到了本地的沙丁鱼。炙烤的做法，外皮微焦带有炭火的气息，鱼肉嫩滑，淋上一点橄榄油，更显鲜甜。鳕鱼、墨鱼、鳗鱼、贝类，丰饶的海产除了让葡萄牙人的餐桌上海鲜料理富足外，鱼罐头自然也是当地的王牌特产。

Ramirez的厂区内，总有一股海洋的气息萦绕。成立于1853年，Ramirez是葡萄牙最古老的海鲜罐头制品厂。流水线旁，我看着熟手的女工快速地处理着沙丁鱼，短短几秒内，一批装好的鱼罐头顺利进入下一环节，如同施展了一道魔法。如今，现代化的加工最大程度地保持了海产的美味，挑选了一份墨鱼罐头打开尝鲜，微辣的口感下，弹牙的质感完好依旧。

能饮一杯无

不知道将这个国家名字翻译成葡萄牙的人是否有考据过葡萄与这片土地的关系，事实上，波尔图地区确实是一片适合葡萄生长与制造佳酿的地方。温暖而干燥的气候，带来了甜美的葡萄果实。

如同初夏来临的那一瞬间，这是我喝到第一口Quinta da Aveleda的感觉。一轮品酒后，这款青酒依然是我最喜欢的一款。“这是Aveleda酒庄最经典的出品之一，它有一种均衡感，能让不同感官都有所感受，当年曾连着在好几届世博会中取得好成绩。”品酒师向我解释。

Taylor's酒厂品酒室的大落地窗正对着波尔图的老城。在夕阳的余晖中，我尝试了几款经典：Chip Dry，口感清甜，如同少女的微笑；Late Bottled vintage 2012，入口带有些许爆炸感，给人富含想象力的体验；10 Year Old Tawny，理想陈酿的模样，醇厚却不沉闷，岁月的风味悠然地在唇齿间游走。

“Saœde（干杯）！”

Luxury restaurant on the riverbank in Oporto.在杜罗河畔欣赏美景与美食。