Porto - by Gabriella Opaz & Sonia Andresson Nolasco (Hardcover)

About the Book

A portrait of Northern Portugal's cuisine and culture as told through the stories and recipes of the women of Porto's historic Bolhão Market, who have been selling produce and creating traditional artisan goods for generations.

Book Synopsis

Discover the culinary heart of Northern Portugal through the stories, food, and history of Bolhão.

Bolhão Market's century-old walls are crumbling as its vendors and visitors wait for the restoration that will return it to its former glory. Though the deteriorating conditions have forced many vendors to leave, there are fishwives still singing their seductive pregão, bakers still hawking crusty broa baked in wood burning ovens, and butchers still offering up favos de mel for the city's signature tripe stew. Bolhão still pulses with knowledge earned over generations and the rich culinary heritage of the region.

This book is about those vendors who remain, and their stories are for those who want to know what to do, see, and eat when they visit the North. Porto, nestled between the sea and the esteemed Douro Valley, is the heart of one of Europe's premier--though often overlooked--food destinations. The people of Bolhão embody the spirit and tradition of this enchanting city. Your next culinary adventure starts here!

Review Quotes

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 you'll 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 Bolhão Market who sell and cook it. Flipping through its pages, I felt a tremendous sense of saudades--an indescribable longing--for 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 Bolhão 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 one's Portuguese culinary library. It certainly will be part of mine." --Ana Patuleia Ortins, author of Portuguese Homestyle Cooking and Authentic Portuguese Cooking

About the Author

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 Bolhão 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.