“Pão Pão Queijo Queijo” word for word translation “Bread Bread Cheese Cheese”….?? Read till the end to find out the true meaning…
Portugal is the westernmost country is all of Europe with it growing population of over 10 million and the Portuguese language being spoken by over 230 million as it is native in 9 different countries and is the 6th most common spoken language in the world. Portugal’s Capital Lisbon or Lisboa is one of the oldest Cities in Europe and believed to be the oldest in the world, not forgetting the city of Porto famous for its Port wine and the reason for naming the country Portugal and of course the Sunny Algarve one of the biggest tourist destination in western Europe.
Food and Drink
Many of Portugal’s traditional dishes are fish-based due to it being situated on the Atlantic coast. The most famous fish dish is salted cod “bacalhau”, which can be cooked in over 300 different ways… along with the famous piri-piri sauce which is used mainly for flavouring chicken. Other famous Portuguese foods include Caldo Verde soup which is made from potato, cabbage and chorizo sausage, and their most typical desert being rice pudding topped with cinnamon or a Pastel de Nata custard tart sprinkled with cinnamon. As it starts to get warmer after a few wet rainy months the traditional treat of snails start to come about, eating snails is very common in Portugal from the end of May and seafood all year round. Sardines are very known to be eaten on bread at the beginning of a meal or as a light snack this can be in all sorts of forms from grilled, BBQ roasted or even a sardine paste. A trip to Portugal wouldn’t be complete without tasting some of the wonderful native drinks originating from the different regions, of course the most famous being Port or Porto which is normally drunk at the end of a meal, Green Wine or Vinho Verde from the north of Portugal, Aquardente which Is a sugar cane based drink and of course how could you forget Sangria, coming in all different types, red, white, rose and even champagne sangria.
Tourist Sites
Portugal has many places and sites you should visit including the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, Torre de Belem and Museu Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Convento do Cristo in Tomar, the Cathedral and Roman Temples in Evora and of course Silves Castle to name just a few.
Holiday Areas
The Algarve is undoubtedly one of the most famous visitor destinations in Portugal, with it bordering along the southernmost region of the country, it is known for its coastline that stretches over 100 miles, with lengths of golden sand, for anyone who loves the beach, warm weather and relaxation this is the perfect place. This region is not only famous for its hot sunshine and warm sea, it is also visited for its fishing villages and fish markets. Visitors love the experience of walking through their small narrow streets and enjoying the sights of whitewashed houses with their Moorish-inspired chimneys. The locals here in The Algarve (The Algavians) are very friendly and are always willing to help visitors to get to know more about their culture and area.
Nature
Most of Portugal was once covered by forests. Today, only a quarter of the country remains forested. While some native species, such as the cork tree are still common, many plants are foreign species and were introduced by humans.
Farming and hunting have reduced the numbers of wild animals living in Portugal. The common animals are boars, wild goats, fallow deer, foxes, and Iberian hares. The Iberian lynx is the most endangered cat species in the world. Portugal and Spain are working together to create open space to allow the remaining few hundred lynxes to roam freely.
Music
The Portuguese have a few national dances and music. Among folk dances preserved in the culture one should know Vira, much similar to a common waltz, Corridinho, Fandango and many others. Pretty much all of them were originated in different regions, but eventually grew all over the country. Music traditions of Portugal are much associated with Fado, a national genre carrying feelings of sadness and loneliness coincidently is not a surprise that fado songs were originated from the word “fatum” which means fate.
Weather and Climate
The weather in the south of Portugal is truly fantastic. It is not too hot in summer and generally mild in winter. In summer it is about 28ºC and in winter near 15ºC, with perfect temperatures almost all year round and warm sun and sea breezes, Portugal is a perfect destination for enjoying the breathtaking scenery, great beaches and delicious food, Although temperatures in the north of Portugal are a little lower, there’s around 11 hours of sunshine each day and the cool sea breeze which makes it very pleasant for a summer break, but when the winter temperature drops you could even find snow at the north of Portugal. The climate in mainland Portugal varies from north to south and from coast to mountain in the south, The Algarve experiences Mediterranean weather with particularly mild winters and hot summers. Further north, the coast is warmed by the Gulf Stream, so winters are still mild and summers are warm.
So as said before it is a very beautiful and interesting country “Pão Pão Queijo Queijo”
“ITS JUST THAT SIMPLE…”
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