 | McLae´s guide to Portugal |  |
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Portugal Internet country code: .pt International telephone prefix: +351  Saint Augustin Portugal, in Southern Europe, shares the Iberian peninsula at the western tip of Europe with Spain. Geographically and culturally somewhat isolated from its neighbor, Portugal has a rich, unique culture, lively cities and beautiful countryside. Although it was once one of the poorest countries in Europe, its incorporation into the European Union has meant increased prosperity -- and increased prices for travelers. Still, it may be one of the best value destinations on the Continent. This is because the country offers outstanding landscape diversity, due to its North-South disposition along the western shore of the Iberian peninsula. You can travel in a single day from green mountains in the North, covered with vines and all varieties of trees to rocky mountains, with spectacular slopes and falls in the Centre, to a near-desert landscape in the Alentejo region and finally to the glamorous Algarve. If you want a condensed view of European landscapes, culture and way of life, Portugal might very well fit the bill. Language: The official language of Portugal is Portuguese. Although it's somewhat related to Spanish, Italian, and other Romance languages, it's not identical. Spanish-speakers may be able to make themselves understood: if you choose to speak Spanish (or have no alternative), try to speak slowly and evenly. Your chances of being understood that way are quite high, but don't assume that anyone will be impressed if you expect them to speak or understand Spanish clearly. English is spoken in many tourist areas, but is far from ubiquitous. However, the younger portuguese will speak at least some English, or French. Eating and Drinking: This is potentially the most varied experience to have in the country. Portuguese cuisine evolved from hearty peasant food drawn from the seafood of the country's abundant coast and the pork raised on the limited grazing land of its interior. From these humble origins, Mediterranean ingredients flowing from Spain and spices brought back to the country during its exploration and colonisation of the East Indies and the Far East helped shape what is regarded as 'typical' Portuguese cuisine. Soup is the essential first course of any Portuguese meal. The most popular is the Minho specialty, caldo verde, made from cabbage, potatoes and spiced sausage. You will see another Portuguese staple bacalhau (dried codfish) everywhere. Locals will tell you that there are as many ways to cook this revered dish as there are days in the year. The most common of Portugal's delicious fish (peixe) dishes revolve around sole (linguado) and sardines (sardinha) although salmon (salmão) and trout (truta) are also featured heavily. These are fried, grilled or served in a variety of sauces. You'll see grills, thick with the smoke of charring meat, in front of many restaurants during your stay. Other than traditional sardines and salmon, Portuguese grilled chicken -- marinated in chilli, garlic and olive oil -- is world famous. Vegetarians may have a tough time of it in Portugal, at least in traditional Portuguese restaurants. In most restaurants, vegetables (usually boiled or fried potatoes) are simply a garnish to the main meat dish. Even 'vegetarian' salads and dishes may just substitute tuna (which locals don't seem to regard as a 'meat') for ham or sausage. However, the Portuguese really like their choose-5-items salad bars, and restaurants serving Indian, Chinese, Mexican, or Italian fare can be found in most cities. If you have kitchen facilities, Portuguese grocery stores are surprisingly well-stocked with items such as lentils, veggie burgers, couscous, and inexpensive fruits, vegetables, and cheeses. In some grocery stores the scales are in the produce section, not at the checkout. If you don't weigh your produce and go to the checkout, you will probably be told Tem que os pesar or Tem que pesar ("You have to weigh them"). Portugal is famous for its wide variety of amazing pastries, or pasteis. The national pastry, pasteis de nata (called just natas further north), is a flaky pastry with custard filling topped with sugar (acucar) and cinnamon (canela). Buy one (or half a dozen) at the Pasteis de Belem a few minutes by tram from central Lisbon, where supposedly the best pasteis in the country can be found. Also excellent are the bolo de arroz (litteraly, "rice cake") and the orange-carrot cake. But don't stop here. Head for Sintra, a short trip away from Lisbon, and try the famous queijadas de sintra. From the more egg-oriented North to almond-ruled South, portuguese pastry is excellent and many times surprising. When traveling in Portugal, the drink of choice is wine. Red wine is the favorite among the locals, but white wine is also popular. Drinking wine during a meal is very common in Portugal, and also after the meal is finished people will tend to drink and talk while letting their food digest. (Don't let yourself be bullied into drinking if you're driving, though!) History: Portugal traces its emergence as a nation to 24 June 1128, with the Battle of São Mamede by Afonso I of the House of Burgundy. On 5 October 1143 Portugal was formally recognized. Afonso, aided by the Templar Knights, continued to conquer southern lands from the Moors. In 1250 the Portuguese Reconquista ended when it reached the southern coast of Algarve. In an era of several wars when Portugal and Castile tried to control one another, King Ferdinand was dying with no male heirs. His only child, a single daughter, married King John I of Castile who would therefore be the King of Portugal after Fernando's death. However, the impending loss of independence to Castile was not accepted by the majority of the Portuguese nobility, which led to the 1383-1385 Crisis. A faction led by John of Aviz (later John I), with the help of Nuno Álvares Pereira, finally defeated the Castilians and their Portuguese supporters in the most historic battle of Portugal, the Battle of Aljubarrota. The victorious John was then acclaimed as king by the Portuguese people. In the meantime, the Black Death reached Portugal. The Portuguese discoveries In the following decades, Portugal created the conditions that would make it the pioneer in the exploration of the world. The Portuguese middle class who had supported and helped the victorious King suddenly rose up in the social ranks of Portugal, creating a new dynamic generation which allowed the discoveries to proceed. On 25 July 1415, the Portuguese Empire began when a Portuguese fleet led by King John I departed to besiege and conquer Ceuta in North Africa, a rich Islamic trade centre. On 21 August the city fell. In 1418 two captains of Prince Henry the Navigator, were driven by a storm to an island which they called Porto Santo, or Holy Port, in gratitude for their rescue from the shipwreck. Also in early 15th century, Madeira Island and the Azorean islands were discovered. Henry the Navigator's interest in exploration, together with some technological developments in navigation made Portugal's expansion possible and led to great advances in geographic knowledge. In 1434, Gil Eanes rounded Cape Bojador, south of Morocco. The trip marked the beginning of the Portuguese exploration of Africa. At the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th centuries, those who tried to venture there became lost, giving birth to legends of sea monsters. Fourteen years later, on a small island known as Arguim off the coast of Mauritania a castle was built, working as a a trading post for commerce with inland Africa. Some time later, the caravels, a ship that the Portuguese invented to help with the explorations, explored the Gulf of Guinea, leading to the discovery of several uninhabited islands and reaching the Congo River. After the Portuguese reached India, they made many discoveries, leading to economic prosperity. However, the Portuguese population in the entire kingdom numbered only about one million. Hence, many discoveries were being made, but there were not enough people to settle the colonies. So, to protect the colonies and the trade routes Portugal kept a high level of secrecy. This policy has proven frustrating for historians, as some areas may have been discovered before the comonly held dates. It has even been alleged that the Portuguese may have known of the Americas before the voyage of Columbus. Some experts claim that Colombus was in fact Portuguese, while others forward the hypothesis that he was not only Portuguese but a "double agent" trying to keep the Spanish out of the Indian trade routes. A remarkable achievement was the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope by Bartholomeu Dias in 1487. By then the spices of India were nearby, hence the name of the cape. In the last decade of the 15th century, Pêro de Barcelos and João Fernandes Lavrador explored North America , Pêro da Covilhã reached Ethiopia, searching for the mythical kingdom of Prester John, and Vasco da Gama sailed to India. In 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral landed on the Brazilian coast. Ten years later, Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa,Damão and Diu, in India, Adem in the Persian Straight, and Melaka in modern day Indonesia as to ensure Portuguese dominion of the commerce in the Indian Ocean. In 1578, the young King Sebastian decided to enlarge Portuguese possessions in northern Africa and, despite having no son and heir to the throne, decided to go into battle personally, where he was slain. Because Philip II of Spain was the son of a Portuguese princess, he became Philip I of Portugal in 1581. Portugal formally maintained its independent law, currency, colonies, and government, under a personal union between Portugal and Spain. New empires had emerged and started to assault the Portuguese Empire. The third Habsburg king, Philip III tried to further enforce integration, openly attacking the Portuguese nobility that was not in his favour. In 1 December 1640, the Duke of Bragança, of the Portuguese Royal Family, John IV, was acclaimed after a revolutionary turmoil, and a Restoration War was fought for a few more years. Bragança Dynasty The 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than a third of the capital's population and devastated the Algarve as well, had a profound effect on domestic politics and on European philosophical thought. From 1801, the country was occupied during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1807, the Portuguese Court fled to Brazil. Shortly after, Brazil proclaimed its independence, under the rule of the Portuguese King Pedro IV (Emperor Pedro I of Brazil), who abdicated from the Portuguese Crown and left his daughter D. Maria II as Queen in a liberal regime. Portuguese 19th Century is marked by the Liberalism. The divisions between king Pedro IV - liberal - and his brother, King Miguel, a conservative who overthrew Queen Maria II, led to the civil war between 1832 and 1834 and the signing of the new constitution in 1836. The political and social evolution in the late 19th century was marked by instability. The republics In 1910 a republican revolution deposed the Portuguese monarchy starting the First Republic. Political chaos, strikes, harsh relations with the Catholic Church, and considerable economic problems aggravated by a disastrous military intervention in the First World War led to a military coup d'état on May 28 of 1926, later, the military administration changed into the New State in 1933, led by António de Oliveira Salazar, a right-wing dictatorship. The regime dominated the country during the following decades, helped by a strong political police, the PIDE. In the early 1960s, independence movements became active in the colonies of Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea, starting the colonial wars. The burden of the many colonial overseas wars and the lack of political and civil freedoms led to the end of the regime after the Carnation Revolution in April 25 of 1974, a bloodless left-wing military coup that created a democratic regime. In 1975, Portugal had its first free elections since 1926 and granted independence to its colonies in Africa. During the post-revolutionary period, the left-wing promoted several changes, such as the nationalisation of the key sectors of the economy and the creation of a social welfare net. In 1976, a democratic Constitution, that remains until today, was approved. Immediately after the revolution, the EEC membership became an objective of the governments, this was achieved in 1986, since then, Portugal started a process of economic convergence, nonetheless, the country remains one of the least developed in the EU. In 1999, the Asian dependency of Macau, was returned to Chinese sovereignty, a process considered a success by China and Portugal, marking the end of the Portuguese colonial rule. |
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