Rustic Portugese Cuisine in a Local Village Home in the Countryside - Day Trip from $28

Visit Filipa for a taste of the Alentejo region at her family’s country home in the village of Évoramonte, 30 minutes outside of the town of Evora. Filipa’s food highlights seasonal ingredients and local produce. Historically, Alentejo was a poor region of the country and people ate what they grew. This resulted a regional cuisine with humble roots but a strong diversity of flavors due to the heavy use of herbs. Filipa's goal is to teach travelers the rustic country fare typical of the region, including the many herbs used in its dishes that she grows in her own garden. Filipa comes from a family with a strong cooking tradition and learned how to prepare Portuguese family recipes from both of her grandmothers and aunts. When she is not cooking, Filipa is an English teacher who loves to travel. Her passion and excitement for cooking and the culinary world are infectious and you are sure to leave her home with a new appreciation and understanding of Portuguese culture and cuisine. Meet your host Filipa in the town of Évoramonte, where she has a country house. Évoramonte is a picturesque walled village of 500 people and offers visitors a glimpse into traditional Portuguese country life. Filipa has an old country house with an outdoor area that includes a vegetable and herb garden and olive and orange trees. She'll show you her garden and show you around this charming village. Enjoy a drink in her garden, weather permitting, before beginning your meal. Filipa will prepare traditional, simple country-style Portuguese dishes that highlight the region's culinary history. Depending on the season, she might serve dishes like rose-infused sheep’s milk cheese, açorda alentejana (a simple peasant soup typical of the Aliejtej region of bread mixed with coriander and water), black and white pork, and seasonal vegetable dishes. Your meal will end with a dessert such as queijada, which she buys from a local shop that has been making the traditional sweet cheese pastry for generations. Dessert will be served with tea or coffee. Please note the best months for this experience and the garden are May and June. In July and August it can get very dry and hot, and some of the crops may be pruned down. In the winter months it can get quite cold and the experience will be held inside; Filipa has a wood fire that she can use for heat but it is an old home and we advise wearing layers in the winter months. We recommend this experience most in the warm summer months when you can truly enjoy the gardens and outdoor country life.