I HAVE always loved a city that can be navigated by foot. Not only because you can tick off all the sights with ease but burning off the calories means you can gorge on the local grub guilt-free. That is something I’d been doing a lot of in Porto , where gooey custard tarts can be picked up on almost every street for around €1.
Portugal’s second largest city is close to the country’s northern coast, with the River Douro cutting through its centre. It’s not just custard tarts, known here as pastel de nata, that I’d been gobbling. The region is known for its traditional food which includes bacalhau (salted cod fish) and the Francesinha toasted sandwich layered with assorted hot meats and cheeses then smothered in a rich beer sauce and served with French fries.
The sandwich is a ritual for after a good few inexpensive port cocktails. After all, if there’s one thing this city is known for other than food, it’s port. Here, this fortified wine is not just associated with Christmas and to be paired only with your favourite stilton or Stinking Bishop, it’s served year round in all the restaurants and bars.
Never tried it before? Well, think of a vibrant red wine that’s sweet and with depth — just like the Tripeiros (the slang name given to Porto’s charming inhabitants). The Douro Valley has been making port since Roman times, but it was in the 17th century that port wine as we know it today was born when Brits fortified the booze in order to maintain its quali.