Today, the world’s haute cuisine is richer and more flavourful thanks to Portugal’s own distinct gastronomic seafood palette.  To mention them all would occupy a book about Portuguese seafood recipes which anyone resourceful enough to look for them can find online.  But some of the best include:

Bacalhau or Portuguese Codfish – This is a common native dish that also has found its way in many former Portuguese colonies like Angola, Brazil and Macau.  Its ingredients vary between regions in Portugal but the more common ones used to spice up the codfish mixed with prawns include olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cucumber, garlic, pepper, salt, onions and parsley.

Portuguese Haddock – another seafood entrée using haddock or cod fish fillets cooked in butter with thinly sliced onions and tomato soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Tuna Guacamole – The guacamole is an avocado dip that did not originate from either Iberian countries and was in fact an Aztec dish that Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors brought back home in the 16^th century and eventually flourished with distinct Portuguese variation. It is basically tuna belly spiced with guacamole dip and further enhanced with onions, other seafoods like crab meat and salted crackers.

Goan Paella – This is rice cooked with a variety of meats that is similar to the Spanish paella which should not surprise anyone as the two countries share a common heritage sitting in the Iberian Peninsula.  Again, various regions of the country have slightly varying traditions in preparing the Gran Paella but it generally contains “chourizo” sausage, sautéed chicken and any assorted seafood.  It’s a complete dish on its own.

Braised Squid – This is another seafood recipe that won’t taste as good without the Portuguese product olive oil.  It is one of Portugal’s simplest dishes spicing up bite-size squid cleaned, cut and cooked with diced potatoes, onions, garlic and wine vinegar.

(If you like to read about Portuguese topics in a more familiar language, note that Portugal Web and its Portugal Shop and Blog are translated other major European languages including Portuguese.)

Here you can find posts categorized into these four main sections.  In addition, each section has pertinent announcements about new products as well as customer feedback on new products and shopping experience.  If you are a Portugal Web customer, we welcome your ideas and suggestions that can enhance your online shopping experience.

Equestrian Blog

Portugal’s long equestrian tradition lives on with current equestrian sporting events from around the country.  Here are some of the current blog posts:
I Lusitano Horse Festival: The prestigious Portuguese horse breed Lusitano, the most well-known thoroughbred from Portugal, gets a fair ground appreciation at the I Lusitano Horse Festival to be held in the city of Agnas de Lindoia in Brazil on the 4^th and 7^th of September.
III Ponte de Lima Horse Fair: The 3rd edition of the Portuguese equestrian event from Ponte de Lima Horse Fair is held at the Ponte de Lima town north of Portugal in the Minho region.
National Agricultural Fair 2009:  The 2009 46^th Feira Nacional da Agricultura is the main Portuguese agricultural fair as part of the 56^th Ribatejo Fair held at Centro Nacional de Exposições e Mercados Agrícolas (CNEMA) in Santarém, the capital of the Portuguese region Ribatejo.

Embroidery Blog

Embroidery is needlecraft that combines artistic expression with the traditions and culture of the people making hem. Moreover, it takes dedication, patience and technical dexterity to produce genuine works of art in a piece of embroidered textile that can become an heirloom for future generations.  At Portugal Web, this is best exemplified with its fine linen and cotton embroidery works that are distinctly inspired from the cultural heritage of the town of Viana do Castelo in southern Portugal.

Wine Blog

This section currently has a couple of blog posts on Portuguese wines.
Douro Valley and Port Wine: The Port wine names comes from the Portuguese city of Porto but few are familiar with the fact that most port wines are made in the Douro Valley where the rich Douro river in the Soria province straddling across northern central Spain and Portugal all the way to the Porto outlet creates the right soils and microclimate for cultivating the grapes used in its famous Port wines.
Portuguese wine: As the 10^th largest wine making country in the world, Portugal produces some of the best known wines that sit in the tables of fine hotels, restaurants and homes. They include the world-renowned Madeira and Port wines that is uniquely Portuguese.

Gourmet Blog
Olives have lushly thrived and cultivated in Portugal far longer than its written history recounts and are among the best in the world.
Olive oil Biennial 2009:  This is a nationwide event celebrating the Portuguese olive oil. It is in annually held in the city of Castelo Branco at the heart of the olive oil region of Beira Baixa.