Today is our last day in Portugal, and of course we had to do another food tour. Culinary Backstreets, the company we used on our Lisbon food tour, just recently (March 2018) launched a tour itinerary in Porto and we decided to try it out. At this point, they only have one guide, a woman with Portuguese parents who was born and raised in Paris but moved to Porto for her university studies and remained here.
We started at Leitaria do Quinta do Paco, a pastry shop that started out as a dairy. Their whipped cream was so popular that they decided to diversify in 1920 and used the cream in eclairs. They became an iconic dessert in Porto because of the use of whipped cream instead of the ubiquitous yolk- rich custard filling.
We then visited Arcadia, a gourmet candy store known for handmade candies and chocolates filled with port wine.
One of the most elaborate McDonalds in Europe is found in Porto. It used to be a fancy cafe and the crystal chandeliers are quite a sight to see.
We visited several local merchants, some of whom are threatened with losing their leases due to gentrification and the influx of air B&Bs. One gentleman in his 70s gad been working in a grocery store since he was 12 years old. He loves to meet tourists and proudly shared his collection of postcards he received from them.
A quick visit to the Church of St. Ildefonso was followed by our next food stop – Gazela- a bar that was visited by Anthony Bourdain and the home of the cachorrinho, loosely translated as “special hotdog” but actytwo sausages in a grilled baguette-like bun, with melted cheese and hot sauce.
A line starts forming at the door a half hour before the place opens. With a beer and side of fresh cut fries, it makes a delicious treat!
Our next adventure was not food- related but rather an exploration of hidden away working class neighborhoods called “isolas”. They are found on the outskirts of the city walls, behind nondescript doors, and consist of an alley lined by one or two story houses (actually more like cottages) with a few tiny rooms. These isolas are being threatened by gentrification as the owners find it more profitable to evict the renters (who may pay as little as 50 euros monthly rent) and sell to developers who transform them into air B&Bs.
We met one of the inhabitants who owned many cats. He offered us a souvenir but kittens don’t travel well!
Our next stop was a basement meeting place that now is a restaurant. Their specialty was sausage – all types – including blood sausage and a Jewish sausage that contained meats other than pork. We also sampled cod fritters and a typical Portuguese salad ( no lettuce or tomatoes) of cod (of course) and chickpeas with olive oil.
Dessert was a rather unusual one that was called Pao do Lo, made of a dozen egg yolks, flour and sugar that was undercooked and sort of tasted like a mushy hard boiled egg yolk – obviously not one of my favorites!
Camino Musings 