Touring Lisbon - the gourmet way

Prior to our trip, we found what looked to be a great way to learn about Lisbon, and get aquainted with the cuisine of the country.  Inside Lisbon Tours offered a Gourmet Walking Tour!  Fortunately, timing was such we would be in the city on one of the two days that tour is offered.

We met our guide at one of the easy-to-find statues in the Rossio square and off we went. 

 There was a Russian family from California, a group from Sweden, Frank and me. We were looking forward to trying some of the wonderful treats!

One of the treats Portugal is known for is the Pasties de Belem. 
Every recipe is just a little different and unless you get it from the original place,
they are just custard tarts.

Custard tart and espresso.  (A typical snack.)

Elevador in Lisbon

View of the River Tejo from the city.

Our guide, Paolo (in the white shirt), guides us in tasting port.

Paolo shares some of the history and culture as we head toward our next tasting stop.

Cervejaria Trindade - former monastery refurbished after earthquake.

Traditional snack - beer and beans.  The beans have been brined and you pop them out of the skin into your mouth.

Another view of the city from a park up the hill.

Panoramic view of the city.

Restaurant with a view!

Salted cod fish (dried) is a big staple in the Portuguese diet.
It is soaked in water for several days to rehydrate and remove a lot of the salt.
From there the recipes are endless.  At this little place, we enjoyed cod cakes (which were similar to crab cakes).

Ginjinha - cherry brandy. 

Inside Casa do Alentejo which offers traditional Portuguese food.

Chick peas with cod, onion, garlic, olive oil and parsley.  Yummy!

Piri piri Pork, Chorizo and eggs-with-sausage

Well-loved Portugal singer, Tony Carreira, performs during the Mega Picnic.  (See previous post.)

It was amazing how well-behaved everyone was during this free concert!  We walked from around the back of the bandshell and through the crowd to get to our hotel.  Everyone was having a great time with their families and friends.  And it did not go on until all hours of the night!