| Excellent restaurants abound throughout the region and, together, support a full complement of international cuisine including French, Italian, Thai, Chinese and Indian. Traditional Portuguese fare, if unfussy, represents excellent value for money and is served in generous quantity. |
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| The Algarve is particularly renowned for its delicious fresh fish and shellfish dishes. We recommend you try the Cataplana - a stew of shellfish and/or fish cooked using a copper cooking pan called ‘cataplana’. |
| The tempting cakes and pastries of the region translate the strong influences of artistic baking using sugar and almond to produce exquisite ‘maçapão’ cakes shaped like little animals or fruits. Most are made with almonds - such as the “D.Rodrigo” or the “morgado” -, carob, figs and oranges that are grown throughout the area combined with plenty of eggs and sugar. The challenge to the visitor is to choose from such a wide variety of delicacies. |
| Although most of the local wines are of a reasonable standard, if you are looking for finer wines you will want to try the Dão or the Alentejo reds. You may also try the “vinho verde” or ‘green wine’, a unique type of wine produced only in Portugal which, served “chilled”, is excellent with seafood.
The traditional “Medronho,” a potent locally distilled spirit, is something of an institution. |
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