There is dinner with chickpeas, lamb stew, sheep's cheese with oregano and even fig and almond ice cream. The Sabores do Caldeirão Gastronomic Fortnight takes place until April 22nd in five restaurants in São Brás de Alportel because, through the palate, one can also “know the wonders” of the county.
This is an event that is already in its 11th edition, but always with the same objective: to promote the typical gastronomy of the Serra do Caldeirão that even already has a Brotherhood.
In 2019, there were five participating establishments: Casa de Pasto Adega Nunes and the restaurants “4 à Mesa”, “O Marquês”, “Rui's Steakhouse” and “Sabores do Campo”.
On the menu, there are delicacies for all tastes, from the already mentioned stews and grain dinners, to the wild boar in the oven, meat puffs with cheese or carob pie.
All properly accompanied by good wines (Quinta da Tôr, João Clara or Cabrita). Prices are set by each establishment and do not exceed 15 euros per dish.
This Monday, April 15th, it was time for a group of journalists to taste some dishes from this Gastronomic Fortnight, at the invitation of the City Council of São Brás, at the 4 à Mesa restaurant, a space that used to be a cork factory.
For starters, there was sheep's cheese with oregano, followed by a puff pastry and asparagus wrapped in ham with vegetables and honey. To top it off, a cream milk with fig jam.
Vítor Guerreiro, Mayor of São Brás, was present at this dinner and considered that «one of the riches we have in our municipality is gastronomy».
«This Fortnight is a way to make known the wonders of São Brás. We have many restaurants in the county that are good proof of what we can find in terms of gastronomy», he said.
In the XI edition of the Quinzena Gastronómica, there are fewer restaurants participating than last year, but the mayor has a justification: «some already have their own menu and a range of customers. We put some requirements for those who want to join, such as creating a special menu for the event».
The proposals of each restaurant also follow a set of rules: the dishes are made with olive oil, the seasonings are made with aromatic herbs, using seasonal products and traditional ingredients from Mediterranean food.
For Vítor Guerreiro, this is an initiative to “continue”. “We are going to listen to the opinions of the different restaurants and improve some things to have even more adherents”, he explained.
At a time when many people are taking advantage of their Easter holidays to head to the Algarve, the Quinzena Gastronómica is a must for a visit to São Brás.
“It's a way to attract tourists by mouth. We have people who are aware of the initiative, come here to restaurants, know our heritage and can only be pleased», said Vítor Guerreiro.
Those who eat at participating restaurants are also eligible to win meal vouchers that will be drawn by each of the establishments.
Next Sunday, Easter day, São Brás will certainly receive many visitors for another Florida Torch Party. On that day, all restaurants in the Quinzena Gastronómica are open.
The different menus can be consulted here The difficult thing…will be choosing.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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