Continuing on my walk through central Lisbon, my tour guide took me to a dried cod shop. Cod is big in Portugal and some claim it’s the national dish. I was told there’s 1001 recipes for using dried cod but everyone’s mother has a secret recipe which makes it 1002 recipes!
Owner of the shop, Jose Martins knows well the method for processing the fish with salt and hanging it to dry. He’s been selling it for 45 years. Since there are some white fish impersonators passed off as cod, they told me “cod fish without cod is not cod!”
Then it was time to explore one more pastry shop to eat nata or egg custard tarts. Aloma has won many competitions for the best custard tarts and how did their name come about? The family started the shop in the 1940’s and got the name from the movie Aloma of the South Seas starring Dorothy Lamour! I must say, it was delicious.
Sour cherry liqueur is said to have originated in Lisbon. For $1.25 a shot, I was talked into trying the drink. Wow, its strong and the cherries in the bottom have to be eaten to complete the drink. The cherries are not pitted and full of alcohol. This shop opens at 8 am and people stop in for a shot to rejuvenate their day and cure what ails them!
