Algarve's charming villages, such as Alvor and Montegordo, are perfect places to sample the local cuisine, from freshly caught sardines, a local speciality, to barbequed tuna steaks and shellfish cooked in a copper cataplana with herbs and pork. All of this should be washed down with a glass of chilled, white, Portuguese vinho verde. It's low in alcohol and has a slight effervescence, making it pleasantly tingly on the tongue and refreshing on hot days.
In Faro on the coast, you have to go for fish and shellfish – and all the oyster and clam breeding at Ria Formosa makes them a fresh good choice. The local meat is also good; chicken, lamb and black pig, porco preto are very tasty and make up the basis of many local recipes.
Seafood on the "Cataplana", photo by Região de Turismo do Algarve
From the tuna steak of Tavira to the octopus of Santa Luzia, the Algarve excels in a menu that extends to delicious local cockles, ‘conquilha’ shells and razor clams. And then there are all the regional innovations in how best to cook these wonderfully natural ingredients including the brass cooking utensil the ‘cataplana’, the ‘caldeirada’ fish stews and other soups.
Finish your meal by ordering a delicious "Bica" espresso coffee and don’t forget to try ‘medronho da serra’ grape based spirit or the almond liqueur ‘amêndoa amarga’, ideally served deeply chilled.
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