It is intriguing that readers' queries are often followed by news items on the same topic within the month. So when a recent holiday visit to Portugal led to a recipe request for pasteis de nata, the particularly mouthwatering custard tarts so popular throughout the country, it was no surprise to see them featured on a television travel show.
The recipe was not difficult to track down through the excellent Portuguese site which offers recipes in both Portuguese and English. This being such a well-loved traditional recipe there are both easier and more difficult versions for you to try, all of which have English versions.
This month also saw a new Portuguese wine in the news - a vinho tinto developed by perennial pop idol Sir Cliff Richard who has been visiting Portugal since the sixties. Although one of the first bottles was gifted to the Algarve's weekend newspaper in English last year, the story of Sir Cliff and his vineyard was revived during the Jubilee celebrations when he starred in the pop Party at the Palace.
The News article can be read here in its original as well as a for-print format. This Portuguese article on the same subject was found on one of my favourite Portuguese search engines through a link from the top-class Google.
So if this whets your appetite to try your pasteis de nata or the new wine in situ, take a real or virtual trip through some more off-beat and personalised travel websites.
Try John Ross or Durant Imboden, both of whom have focussed on Portugal.
If you're nostalgic for the food and drink but not travelling this year, the Portuguese supermarket Alcofa is offering to send food and drink world-wide.
An Alcofa is the type of shopping basket our grannies used to use when popping out to shop at the local loja. This is a highly informative site. There is a clickable list of enticing sections in which to shop and again, this is a Portuguese/English site - great for improving your Portuguese food knowledge and vocabulary.
The only drawback is that you need to be in an UPS delivery area to profit from the service.
Did you think you'd get away from football? - wrong. With the USA, Portugal and Brazil in the World Cup together for the first time ever, we have to have some coverage!
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