For the love of Cod
The Portuguese have been getting some really good press relative to their food. When I met my husband, he was all about the pastel de nata. When I had my first one, it was love at first taste. But after the famous custard tarts, he was all about the cod (bacalhau)--and with that, I wasn't in love. Here, the most common cod is dried and salted. It then has to soak sometimes for days before preparing it, just to get the salt to calm down before it gets cooked, coming out dense and meaty and even a bit dry (even when, as is usually the case, sitting in a bubbling bath of hot olive oil). No thanks.
But now that I've lived in Lisbon for over a year and a half and have enjoyed dining in different regions of Portugal, I can firmly say that I've jumped on the boat of Portuguese cuisine lovers. In a typical Portuguese restaurant, you won't find the best ambiance, but it will be warm, the servers will be extremely professional (ties and aprons and all), having wine is assumed, and the plates are simply prepared with very fresh, local or relatively local ingredients (the country is incredibly small with various growing climates). Most notably, the food is clean.
On our trip back to the US for Christmas, I couldn't wait to arrive in Milwaukee at the Iron Horse Hotel and order a Wisconsin Old Fashioned and a basket of Clock Shadow Creamery (around the corner local!) hot fried cheese curds. Seriously, I thought about that first order from the moment we booked our hotel. I craved thick grilled cheese sandwiches and siracha roasted Brussel sprouts and pancakes and cinnamon rolls and enchiladas. But somewhere between the second basket of cheese curds and the third round of Mexican food, I realized my indulgence wasn't what I had hoped. I missed the simple dishes of fresh ingredients and grilled fish from Portugal. I felt heavy (and for those who know me, I eat as I please...no guilt attached!) and found too many of the choices were smothered or fried or piled high. It was as if all abundance and excess was caught in a frenzy and every restaurant wanted to one-up the next with how many ingredients it could pack into a dish. My stomach was confused.
I love some heavy comfort food, and I will still go back for more cheese curds on the next visit, but I am also quite pleased that my every day food choices are now far more easy-going. Like much about this slow-paced, humble but proud country, the food takes center stage without ever shouting.
