Treasured Western Food Related Travel Memories

[Jingthing]

The idea of this thread is to share one dish each post, within these general parameters:

-- Western dish

-- you name the dish, and name the location where you had the dish, more or less detail, up to you

-- you tried this dish first on a trip, in your home country or abroad

-- you will remember the total experience of eating the dish all your life

-- it is a dish that may inspire some people to try to replicate it in their kitchen

My first dish is Açorda, a bread soup of Portugal made with garlic, coriander, olive oil, and often a red pepper sauce called piri piri, all topped with a poached egg. Basically, PEASANT FOOD!

I was driving through Portugal in a huge German tank of a car (because thats all the rental car company could give me when I revealed I can't drive a stick), which is something you should never do in Portugal because the town roads are very narrow. Anyway, I had tried Portuguese bread soups in other locations in Portugal, but the version at this total hole in the wall dive in Evora, Alentejo was something I will remember for the rest of my life. It was clearly made with incredibly good crusty bread, a ton of garlic, and the THICKEST soup I have ever had. The picture here doesn't show the reality, as that is a more typical thin soup. It was so delicious, the soup and a bottle of wine was the whole meal, and it cost maybe one US dollar (years ago ...). Maybe the cheapest meal I had in my entire month long journey in Portugal and the one meal from there I will remember forever.

Edited December 21, 2008 by Jingthing