About
Learning about a country and its people, its culture and history, and how it interacts with other nations, past and present, can’t be fully taken in with just a cursory reading of books or surfing the net. One needs to live in the country at least for some time. But our Portugal Diary is one humble attempt to bring the sights of historic Portugal right in your homes without having to set foot on the Iberian Peninsula where the country sits.
Portugal Diary goes beyond the usual big picture and tackles the finer details that really define what it means to be Portuguese. Places and events can look interesting from a distance but our diary site looks at the minute everyday life stories behind these events to expose the soul behind what makes the country a tourist destination and its products sought after worldwide.
The Food, the Wine and its Sports
To a large extent, the native culinary highlights of a land provide a glimpse of its soul in the popular taste and aroma of its cuisine for daily consumption as well as for special occasions and festivities. Portuguese cuisine is not just a curiosity but appeals as an exotic gastronomic delight in specialty Portuguese restaurants around the world and right here where tourists are known to look for when they first arrive.
It is not surprising for a country with historic traditions in fine foods not to take advantage of its microclimate and rich soils to bring out one of the finest wines in the world.
Its Port and Madeira wines figures in many tables, not only in Europe but in every wine lover’s table around the world. The Douro regions where only genuine Port wines are produced are now a World Heritage Site as declared by UNESCO.
Last but not the least, you get to savor the rich culture of a country also from the sports its people love to engage in. While being second only to soccer in popularity, the unmistakable appeal of equestrian sports has figured in the sporting lifestyles of the middle class and its elite aristocrats and royalties over the ages.
This is natural as Portugal has evolved into a mighty military power in the 15th to the 17th centuries where its Calvary has spawned national interest in horses, particularly its famous native Lusitano thoroughbred.
Together with the sports of horseback riding, Portugal’s tradition for making equestrian saddles, bridles and other horse tack accessories has become an industry copied elsewhere but rarely equaled.