Portugal - Aveiro (last report)

[Pat Hammond]

Aveiro is in the Beiras region, south of Oporto and near the coast. The beaches of the Costa Nova are beautiful, and during the week at the end of June, were virtually empty. The making of salt is a major industry, and the colorful and elegant boats with the curved bow (moliciero) harvest seaweed. The town’s canals remind one of Venice. Even so, the town has a newish feel to it, maybe it was just too open after the warren-like streets of Porto. It was my least favorite town.

The pastelarias of Aveiro had some delicious pastries though, and we’d pop into one for a quick treat. The specialty of this town is a confection called ovos moles (soft eggs). This is sweetened egg yolk encased in a crisp outer shell that reminded me of slightly sweetened communion wafer! Not bad, not great, at least to me. They come in the shape of sea shells.

I did love the morning Mercado de Peixe (fish market) where baby eels escaped the tables to squirm about on the floor. Eels are a specialty there too. A regret is that I didn’t have eel soup.

We had one highly memorable meal in Aveiro. The restaurant is called Salpoente. If you ever find yourself in town, it’s at Canal S. Roque 83. My friend, Al, and I shared a very rich arroz de marisco (rice and seafood). This was a spectacle! A large pot arrived at the table and when the lid was removed, the barely contained shellfish popped up: cockles, lobster, huge prawns, lots of legs of the spider crab. Antennae and legs of all sorts seemed in a hurry to escape. We dispatched most of it painlessly! Have it somewhere if you see it and enjoy
seafood.

With time running out, we had yet to have the roast suckling pig. We piled into the car and headed out to Mealhada. The parking lot for Meta dos Leitoes was pretty full and we had no reservation. They turn the tables fast it seems, because we were immediately seated. Bread came out, then the wine, followed by my favorite salad. We ordered the pork for three people instead of four, and it was a wise decision! This meal was a highly anticipated highlight of the trip and we were not disappointed. The skin on the pig was so crisp, I actually cut the roof of my mouth. No complaints were heard from me, though; that’s what you get when you eat like a, well, pig! Moist, succulent pork, perfectly seasoned. But the skin was the best! A big bowl of home made potato chips was a surprising addition to the meal. The manager took us back into the kitchen for a quick look on a busy night. It looked like a morgue, with white-cloth draped carcasses waiting to be carved. I told him about Chowhound and he asked for the address.
Thanks to the friends I traveled with and thanks to Chowhound for all the good tips.

[Andy P.]

Hi Pat,

Loved all of your reports, including the "article". Thank you for sharing with all of us what must have been a very memorable trip!

My mouth is watering for suckling pig right now!

Even though I love Tom A.'s writing, it was wonderful reading it in your own words. :)

Yoroshiku,
Andy

[pat hammond]

Thanks, Andy. It was fun to put together and has kept my memories fresh. Travelling with the idea of writing about it helped me to be that much more attentive to the moment. pat

[Marisa]

My husband and I are going to Aveiro for a wedding in July and can't wait to try your recommendations as we are definitely foodies. I hope this is not out of line, but what hotel did you stay in? We're booked in the Hotel Moliciero as we were told that is was one of the nicest hotels. Any recommendations? Thanks.

[Pat Hammond]

Gee, I'm sorry, I don't remember which hotel. All of my notes are in Maine and I'm in New York now. I'm sure it's not the one you're booked into. Mine was the base for an international math conference. It was OK, and the staff were very nice. Not what I'd call posh, though.

I envy you. I can't believe it's going on two years since I was there. You're going to have a wonderful time.

Pat

[deirdre]

Your post brings back such great memories. I stayed a month in Aveiro way back in the summer of '85 (yikes!), and still remember the fantastic seafood -- yes, eels! yum, big and tiny, and clams of all kinds, and shrimp (with heads at the bar with a good cold beer), bacalhau all the time, periwinkles that you eat using pins, great bicas (espresso) all through the day, all those yummy almond desserts, figs everywhere! One Sunday we had suckling pig (leitao) out to the east somewhere -- probably the same town you ate in, I remember lots of places on the road that did leitao. Plus there's the great red wine, at that time very undervalued. That was my first trip to Europe, and it was an eye-opener. That's where I learned how to eat. And for some unknown reason I haven't been back, yet.

[Pat Hammond]

Thanks for letting me go back for a little while too. I so enjoyed your memories. It's was one of my best trips ever. I'd go back in a shot. Pat