"Catch of the day" from Algarve

[pooky]

Beautiful pics. The super white buildings with red roofs makes for a really pretty pic.

Interesting history too

[Lisbeth]

The Iberian pig is a traditional breed of the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) that is native to the Iberian Peninsula. The Iberian pig, whose origins can probably be traced back to the Neolithic, when animal domestication started, is currently found in herds clustered in the central and southern part of Portugal and Spain.

Black pig being raised in the countryside near Évora, Alentejo, Portugal

The Iberian pig can be either red or dark in colour, if black ranging from dark to grey, with little or no hair and a lean body, thus giving rise to the familiar name pata negra, or "black hoof". In traditional management, animals ranged freely in sparse oak forest ('dehesa'), they are constantly moving around and therefore burn more calories than confined pigs. This, in turn, produces the fine bones typical of this kind of jamón ibérico. At least a hectare of healthy dehesa is needed to raise a single pig, and since the trees may be several hundred years old, the prospects for reforesting lost oak forest (dehesa) are slim at best. True dehesa is a richly diverse habitat with four different types of oak that are crucial in the production of prime-quality ham. The bulk of the acorn harvest comes from the holm oak (from November to February), but the season would be too short without the earlier harvests of Spanish oak and gall oak and the late cork oak season, which, between them, stretch the acorn-production period from September almost to April.



It does not look it, but these simple looking slices of perfectly cooked black pig is one of the best meals, that I have ever eaten
At the end when we were absolutely full and could not eat any more; there were still two slices left and we asked to take them with us for the next days lunch on our way to Évora

[Lisbeth]

16.03.2015

The next morning a nice view from the balcony of the hotel room overlooking the river with a lovely white stork "grassing" on the other side





Flowers along the road towards our next destination











Along several kilometers there were stork nests on almost every light pole in the middle of the cork oaks, an incredible sight



To be continued.......

[Richprins]

Pig and Potatoes!

Looks great!

Funny, Lis...you know some those storks could have been seen here in SA by me, and there by you...don't they migrate?

[Lisbeth]

The ones in the South of Portugal, Spain and North Africa (Marocco etc.) most likely stay all year. We were there in the middle of winter and they were there

[nan]

Pata negra

[Lisbeth]

It was d e l i c i o u s, Nan! Super yummie!!

[Richprins]

Aha! Lazy storks!

[Dewi]

Those pork steaks look delish Lis. Wish I'd hopped on a plane to join you now.

[Lisbeth]

You don't know what you have missed, Dewi