Inspiration
Portuguese flavours that inspire.
From charcoal and piri-piri to olive oil from Alentejo — here we gather inspiration around what we cook and love.
(01) Alentejo
Olive groves with a thousand years under the bark
Some olive groves in Alentejo have trees over 2,000 years old — planted in Roman times and still producing. Portugal was the first European country to legislate DOP protection for olive oil in the 1970s.
The varieties galega, cobrançosa and cordovil give oils with pepper, grass and green almond — quite different from the Italian style.
(02) Douro Valley
A river, stone walls and terraced slopes
The Douro Valley is the heart of northern Portugal — where the river cuts through schist and granite and people have grown vines and olive trees on terraces for over two thousand years. This is where port wine was born, and where the world's oldest demarcated wine region was created in 1756.
Alongside the wine, elegant olive oil, almonds, honey and goat cheese are also made. Villages like Pinhão and Régua are places where time moves more slowly.
Garlic, olive oil, bay leaf
"Alho, azeite e louro."
An old saying: the whole Portuguese kitchen in three words. Three cloves crushed in olive oil — that is how almost every recipe begins.