Vineyards in the Douro Valley, Portugal. Photo / 123RF
There is plenty to tempt tastebuds on the Iberian Peninsula, just don't take a calorie counter, writes Frances Cook.
If you go on holiday and don't come back several kilos heavier, you're doing it wrong. At least, that's always been my motto, and it was certainly the case when I travelled through Spain and Portugal.
Traditional Spanish food makes its mark by relying on real, simple ingredients. It relies on a strong tradition of letting simple ingredients take centre stage, with a little help from olive oil, garlic, and salt.
No dish captures this better than paella. In other countries it's often considered Spain's national dish, but once you step within its borders you'll find paella was born in the region of Valencia.
It's a delicious, filling meal in the way only traditional food tends to be, and I was lucky enough to get an inside look at how the experts put one together.
Classic Valencian paella isn't bright yellow with prawns on top, as you'll see on the postcards. The red prawns and yellow saffron rice make for a pretty combination in a picture, and still taste pretty great, but the traditional dish is simpler.
For the authentic experience, you use meat such as chicken or rabbit, some vegetables, and maybe beans.
You can even take things a step further, and use snails. Yes, the truly traditional paella can use snails for its protein.
I stuck with the chicken.
Our tour group had these instructions barked out from a friendly but intensely focused chef from La Cigrona restaurant, using an old family recipe. This was a man who took his paella seriously, and the results showed in the dish.
He had plenty of tips on how to achieve his perfect paella. Use short round-grain rice, as it absorbs the flavours and ingredients better. Make a space in the middle of the rice every time you add a new ingredient, add it in and mix it all together.
It's all ideally cooked together in a large flat pan over an open flame. When you're done, pop the pan in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves to the parts in front of them.
Just don't steal the snails from someone else's part of the pan. That's considered rude in any country.
If you want to pair your meal with wine, Spain and Portugal spoil you for choices.
Jump the border once you've finished your paella, and try the world famous port from Porto.
Many of the founding families that first created the fortified wine are still in the region, their descendants building on the knowledge of how to grow and ferment the sweetest, stickiest port. Taking a tour around their cool, dark cellars is to step back in time to when the process was still being perfected.
A Ferreira guide showed our group around their cellars, which the family set up in 1751.
As the Spaniards do with paella, the Portuguese still prize their traditional methods for creating the best port.
Tradition is broken only with very good reason.
Harvesting the grapes is still done by hand, as well as the winter upkeep of the vineyards.
There have been some minor upgrades to materials, such as now collecting the grapes into plastic baskets, rather than wicker, as they're easier to clean.
But small details for the sake of hygiene are as far as the changes go.
Growing and production has to be done in the Porto region, in order for the wine to count as true port.
The grapes are grown in the Douro River Valley, thanks to a perfect combination of good soil and shelter from the Serra do Marao mountains, which buffer vines from the harsh Atlantic winds.
The vats towered over us as we walked through the cellars, four times our height. We learned those vats were for the fruity ruby port, each holding almost 70,000 litres.
The size of the vats limit the contact the fortified wine has with the oak and the air.
It's different with tawny port. The barrels are more like the traditional-sized wine barrels and are stacked in pyramids.
Although tawny is still produced from red grapes, the extra contact in the smaller barrels creates elegant, complex flavours, including oak, almonds, and nuts. It also loses colour because of the oxidation, so the older it is, the more yellow it becomes.
As a port fan, I was surprised to learn they also produced a white type, tier. Fermentation is stopped after only one day.
Our guide recommended mixing it with tonic water and lemon slices on a hot summer's day.
If you're lucky enough to try a rare vintage port, there's a trick to it. Sediment is kept in the vintage bottles, so the flavours can keep developing.
Store a vintage bottle on its side, so that the cork stays wet, and properly seals the precious port away from bugs.
When you're ready to drink it, you'll need to decant it in order to separate it from those sediments.
Enjoy it as soon as you've decanted, while the flavours are at their peak.
All through Spain and Portugal there's an abundance of flavours to savour, all with a deep history to explore while you eat.
I know I did it well because I certainly came home heavier than when I left.
Other flavours worth trying:
● Spanish jamon, a type of dry-cured ham. You'll often find it served as a sandwich,with many jamon slices jammed into a crusty roll of bread.
● If you like yourfood heavy and filling, try a Portuguese francesinha from one of many restaurants offering them in Porto. It's a type of sandwich made with bread, ham,fresh sausage and roast meat, covered in melted cheese and a hottomato-and-beer sauce. One is easily split between two people.
● Vinho Verde, or green wine in English, is another delightful Portuguese drink. Best on a hot day,the "green"refers to it being aged for a shorterlength oftime, so it can actually be both red orwhite. The shorter ageing means it both tastes fresher, and is cheaperto buy. Handy.
● Pastel de nata, also known as pastel de belem, is a type of egg-tart pastry. It willremind you of custard, and can be found everywhere in Portugal. Eat yourweightin them.
● Fresh seafood is found across the region. You are right nextto the Mediterranean, after all. Take every opportunity to indulge.A personal highlightwas sea bass baked in sea salt. It didn't make the fish salty, but kept the moisture in, producing incredibly tender fish that would fall apart on yourfork.
● Cava,the traditional Spanish bubbly wine. It's their own version of champagne, although they're not allowed to call itthat anymore, thanks to EuropeanUnion law. Whatever you call it, it's delicious, andwon't cost you a million bucks. You can get a good-quality bottle for under10euro.
Getting there
Insight Vacations 15-day Best of Spain & Portugal holiday is priced from $4950pp, twin share.
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