My Food And Wine Experience With Inside Lisbon

Most Portuguese are convinced that theirs is the finest cuisine in the world…

Well, this summer I was convinced by Inside Lisbon that the above statement is truthful. I participated in Lisbon’s Food and Wine Walk where I could experience different Portuguese wines, fruits, pastries, bread, meat and obviously cheese and marmalade.

Absolutely interesting and yummy experience that I would recommend everyone who is a travel foodie or wine and cheese person.

About Inside Lisbon

Inside Lisbon is a 10 year-old company that provides visitors of Lisbon unforgettable food, wine and sightseeing experience in order to show them the best side of the city. They are specialized in Walking Tours and Full Day Tours in and around Lisbon region for individuals and groups.

There are regular tours available in English and Spanish, and private tours in English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, French and Italian so you can choose your own language when booking a day with Inside Lisbon. In all their activities, quality and fun is assured!

My Food and Wine Walking Tour Experience

My food and wine experience with Inside Lisbon took place on Saturday 27th of July 2014. I was participating in the tour with my mom who is a real wine and snack lover. We arrived at Square D. Pedro IV (Rossio) at the statue in center of the square at around 5 pm where a group of 10 people was already waiting for us.

Our tour guide called Marta greeted us warmly and introduced herself. She was extremely knowledgeable, talkative and friendly. During the whole tour, which lasted over 3 hours, she was talking a lot about Portuguese snacks and drinks, food culture, traditional dishes and the quality of food in Portugal.

Thanks to Marta, I found out that the Portuguese have perfected the art of cooking (and eating) simple, delicious meals. They enjoy the food, they eat and talk for hours, they never rush when eating. Once they sit down at the table, they slowly taste each dish, appreciate every single bite and enjoy the smell of it.  Eating is a very important part of they life.

Surprisingly, locals in Portugal don’t eat fast food. They prefer freshly cooked nutritious home meals stuffed with vegetables and seafood. They love soups ad grilled fish – usually salty and dry. They are big fans of freshly baked bread, olives, cheese, red wine or crisp vinho verde and smoked meats. Their meals are delicious and yet extremely healthy.

During the whole afternoon with Marta, we visited various local restaurants and pastry shops in order to taste different Portuguese snacks and drinks, including:

Cod Fish Cake & Green wine

The cod fish we tried at the first stop was deep fried and extremely yummy, ball-shaped and soft. It was served with green wine which tasted like a champagne – semi-sparkling.

Vinho Verde is unique to Portugal and is not produced anywhere else in the world. It has a white color with medium alcohol content and citrusy palates and aromas. Perfect combination!

Tapas & White Wine

When we stopped for the second time, we indulged in fresh Portuguese bread covered with pumpkin jam, prosciutto and cheese in a very cozy restaurant. Cheese served with pumpkin jam was something new to me, but I really enjoyed the taste of it – slightly strong and fruity.

Port Wine & São Jorge Cheese and Marmalade

The third stop was all about sweet marmalade which was served with cheese, no bread. Port wine was sweet, semi-dry and it is often served as a dessert wine. As Marta said, the Port wine is aged, often in barrels stored in cellars, high in alcohol (between 19 and 22 percent).

Ginja liquor

At the fourth stop, Marta bought a bottle of traditional Portuguese liquor. It is made by infusing ginja berries in alcohol and adding sugar together with other ingredients. Ginjinha is served in a shot form with a piece of the fruit in the bottom of the cup – so delicious!

 Bread, Chouriço & Red Wine

Lastly, we all sat down at a lovely place called Casa do Alentejo where we enjoyed some ride wine, Portuguese sliced bread and a huge fatty pork sausages.

Apart from eating, we walked across Lisbon’s streets admiring the beautiful scenery and picturesque souvenirs shops. We visited various neighborhoods filled with restaurants and pastry shops. Marta has also recommended great places for dining out and shopping to us!

Would you like to experience Portuguese wines and food?