Olive oil, essential basic element of traditional Portugese food and cooking
Already in early history the Portugese used olives in their alimentation and to produce olive oil, but like in many mediterranean countries, it was the romans that were responsible for the introduction of the fine art of producing and extracting higher quality olive oil.
Nowadays olive oil is the main fat used in the preparation of portugese dishes, and also one of the main condiments. The Portugese love ‘Azeite’. Don’t be surprised when you sit in a restaurant next to someone who turns the bottle of olive oil upside down above his plate.
Bakers and farmers in the Alentejo area lay slices of their traditional enormous bread (pão alentejano) right out of the oven in a bath of olive oil, seasoned with salt and garlic. The famous Portugese caldeirada (a fresh fish and potato stew) is cooked in oil and freshly grilled fish is always seasoned with lots of Azeite.
Together with garlic, salt, piri-piri, coriander (coentros) and parsley (salsa), olive oil is certainly the most important ‘taste-maker’ in Portugese cooking.
Taking olive oil home
Olives and olive oil have always been the symbol of peace, strength, victory and glory. A perfect present.
Of course, you can buy olive oil in a supermarket, but if you want to take something special go to a shop that specializes in wines and oil, a ‘garrafeira’, like Napoleão. Two olive oils that can be recommended because of their good price/ quality heuristic are for example ‘Azeite cortes de cima’ and ‘Azeite herdade de Pinheiro’.