Porto: Stories from Portugals Historic Bolho Market

(Hardback)

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Description

Since the nineteenth century, the Bolho Market in Porto has been the culinary hub of Northern Portugal, where farmers, fishermen, and artisan food producers (think wine, cheese, and olive oil) have gathered to sell their products and swap their stories in the open air. Due to the rise of chains and supermarkets, the number of vendors has slowly dwindled, and the market's walls have crumbled into disrepairbut the space still pulses with knowledge earned over generations and the rich culinary heritage of the region.
Although locals and tourists, newly interested in artisan products and organic produce, have started to visit Bolho Market in greater numbers, its fate remains in question. Again and again, the local government has promised revitalization efforts, but even if they happen, there is no guarantee that vendorsmostly octogenarian grandmotherscan afford to come back, or that a piece of the market's Old World charm will not be lost.
That's why Gabriella Opaz and Sonia Andresson Nolasco have preserved these local women's stories and recipes in Porto, a heartfelt portrait of a place as told by the people keeping its legacy alive. Divided into chapters that highlight Northern Portuguese staplesbread, produce, seafood, cured meats, and morethis book introduces one of the world's greatest, though often overlooked, culinary regions, and provides invaluable advice for what to see, do, and taste when you visit.

Reviews

Praise for PORTO:

More culinary guide than cookbook, [Porto] . . . focuses on the edible history of the region, separated into chapters focusing on Portuguese staples: seafood, cured meats, produce and everything youll want to want to eat on your visit. The Globe and the Mail

This book is a visual and gustatory hymn to the honest, simple foods of Northern Portugal as well as a portrait of the proud and welcoming vendors of Bolho Market who sell and cook it. Flipping through its pages, I felt a tremendous sense of saudadesan indescribable longingfor my adopted country. David Leite, author of The New Portuguese Table and Notes on a Banana

This book is a wonderful culinary journey through the history of Bolho Market, the city of Porto, and the little-known wonderful recipes of Northern Portugal. An exploration and delicious education rolled into one, this book is a must have and deserves to be part of ones Portuguese culinary library. It certainly will be part of mine. Ana Patuleia Ortins, author of Portuguese Homestyle Cooking and Authentic Portuguese Cooking

Author Bio

Gabriella Opaz is an award-winning speaker, writer, and consultant on storytelling and communication. Co-founder and co-owner of Catavino, which offers custom food, wine, and cultural tours of Portugal and Spain, she contributes to Wine & Spirits Magazine. Gabriella co-founded the Born Digital Wine Awards (BDWA), which celebrate responsible, diverse wine journalism around the globe, and was a TEDx Porto speaker in 2017. Born in Chicago, Gabriella now lives in Porto, Portugal.

Sonia Andresson Nolasco is a journalist, editor, and publicist who primarily works with food, wine, travel, and art organizations to promote Portugal. She resigned as a public relations director in Manhattan to join Catavino in Porto, immersing herself in Bolhao Market intermittently for two years to build the relationships that inspired the intimate portraits in the book. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, and raised in the Ironbound-Newark, a Portuguese enclave in New Jersey, Sonia now lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Ryan Opaz is a photographer and knight of the Port Wine Brotherhood who has worked as a chef, butcher, art teacher, public speaker, and wine writer. As CEO of Catavino, which he cofounded with his wife, Gabriella, he has spent the last 12 years guiding people throughout Portugal, kindling their love for a country and people he cherishes.