By David Rosengarten

Well, here’s something you probably haven’t thought about too much… regional Portuguese cuisine!

I had a great chance to observe it in action… all right, I ate it!… as I wrapped up a few days in the north of Portugal, and drove several hours to the south, south of Lisbon, to the Setúbal Peninsula.

Now, in the north, it was mainly variations of pork that kept me happy. The northern town of Mealhada, and the surrounding wine region of Bairrada, are famous throughout Portugal and Spain for roast suckling pig. Once I knew that, I had to chain-swine the stuff, not being sure when I’d get skin this crackling-thin, and meat this juicy-velvety, again.

But the game seemed to change on the Setúbal peninsula. Utilitarian northern architecture metamorphosed to southern white-washed esprit; the number of pork-houses diminished, and the spirit of the sea seemed to swell. And, sure enough, while dining at one of the region’s most famous wineries, Quinta da Bacalhôa–which just happens to be named after salt cod–I ran into a regional specialty that is one of the most delicious salt cod dishes ever. Called Bacalao Doirado, it is slices of salt cod fried in an extremely eggy batter–eggier than Chicken Francese–then piled and baked in a casserole. “Doirado” means golden, and the soft, puffy, golden-brown pieces of fish are almost reminiscent of good, golden egg foo yung in flavor.

As if that weren’t enough local love, they hit me with the Queijo de Azeitao, one of Portugal’s greatest cheeses, and made right on this peninsula. It is a small disc, maybe 3″-4″ across, 2″ high, weighing no more than 200 grams. The perimeter is wrapped in paper, the top is cut off, and what lies below is a runny, velvety mass of raw sheep’s milk cheese. I lucked into just the right season, late winter/early spring, when the ooze is at its best. What flavor! Think of a funky washed-rind French cheese, like Epoisses–then add some freshness and bright acidity to it! You eat it with a spoon, and I hope no one at the quinta minded the quintuple-dipping.

More Setúbal? Of course! Wine-lovers around the world know that name for one thing only: the famous Moscatel de Setúbal, one of the world’s great dessert wines. Quinta da Bacalhao makes two brilliant versions: the “regular,” produced from Muscat Alexandria grapes, and the “Roxo,” or purple, made from the rarer purple Muscat, a strain of Muscat á Petits Grains. Both are fortified wines (about 18.5% alcohol), both are sweet, both sing with electric acidity to keep everything light. And… oh yes… both current releases are from 1999. I loved the pair–the witch hazel character of the first was extraordinary–but marginally preferred the greater elegance of the purple.

Ah, yes. All’s well in southern Portugal. Just as it is in northern Portugal!

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