Olhão is an “authentic fisherman's land” that serves “a lot of seafood and tradition”, a city “wonderfully disheveled, authentically fishing, with its lovely food markets”, which “scream with life”. These are some of the descriptions that Jamie Oliver's magazine makes of Olhão, its market, its products and restaurants.
The magazine team «Jamie Magazine», whose August issue dedicates 12 pages to Olhão, toured the city and its narrow streets, which he compares to an Arab medina and Marrakesh, went to follow the clam picking in the Ria Formosa, visited Culatra, surrendered to the beaches where «there is hardly anyone», just «clean sand, gentle winds, deep blue water».
He also recalled the times when Olhão was an important center of the canning industry, visited – and recommended – restaurants and, above all, marveled at the markets, where they bought «a lot, but even much more than we could carry».
“Markets have a timeless feel. They live their lives to the rhythm of the seasons and the rising and falling tides. Almost none of the products traveled more than seven miles, and all the fish and seafood were landed or caught just a few hours ago.'
Despite some factual lapses – such as saying that the lagoon area of Ria Formosa is in the estuary of the «Rio Formosa» or talking about the «old Arab medina» of Olhão – the article, illustrated with beautiful photos, even has a headline on the front page of the magazine, entitled «Portugal's amazing Algarve» (The incredible Algarve, in Portugal).
Briton Jamie Oliver is one of the world's best known chefs, a fame to which his television programs have contributed a lot.
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