Salt is not just a seasoning; it is one of human history’s oldest and most essential ingredients. Its significance dates back to refrigeration, making it crucial for preserving food. In many civilisations, salt was even used as currency. The word “salary” originates from salt, highlighting the immense value this...
Summer is already well underway, but the Algarve knows how to extend the warm days until mid-October. There are still many days of sun, sand, salt, and long weekends by the sea. And if there is something good about summer, it is the feeling that time stretches out and...
Discussing Port wine entails embarking on a journey to the past, flying over the Douro Valley, and feeling immense pride in recalling one of the oldest relationships between countries. Each glass of Port wine, served ceremoniously in a slender glass, contains countless stories. The distinctive flavour stems from the Indigenous...
There’s the most Portuguese Carnival in Portugal, the five-day Carnival instead of three, and the most Brazilian Carnival in Portugal. All are part of the same celebration, but each has uniqueness, showcasing Portugal’s true greatness in traditions. The origin of Carnival can be traced back to the Greeks, who, in...
Delicate golden threads, as fine as a strand of hair, are ably intertwined by the hands of those who master this art like no other. One would hardly guess that the origin of this golden thread dates back to solid gold bars. This could only be the work of...
If there are conquerors in the world, chocolate stands out! It presents itself in various ways and flavours, sweetening life’s moments and melting in front of those who can’t resist its charm. Some studies suggest it can be addictive, and we have no doubt, as its taste almost compels...
Mar d’Estórias is a sizable spot that can accommodate a myriad of Portuguese items. Nevertheless, if these items were swapped for individuals, we’d need to relocate to a skyscraper! The sense of magnificence remains consistent when a fresh item arrives at our shelves. People with ingenuity in their souls...
This article highlights the treasures found in mothers’ and grandmothers’ glazed cabinets. These delicate items are only brought out on special occasions. They are pieces from Vista Alegre, cherished like treasures and silent witnesses to decades of family gatherings. Whether at Christmas, Easter, or a special birthday, these porcelains transport...
In films, books and music, we are bombarded with the theme of love and everything it involves. Love is the Achilles’ heel of any human being. It is that topic that softens the hardest shell, tough to let go, but that we wear as a uniform at work or...
A liquid that is not indifferent to any culture, any nationality. It is king in the best diet in the world, the Mediterranean. In the documented history of humanity, it accompanied all the events that made the world change. The tree that gives it life is full of glories,...
Every story has its beginning. For simplicity we could say that a blanket begins at the end of a ball of yarn and ends in a trousseau in a newlyweds’ house. But there is a beginning, a middle, and an end, as well as the protagonists who cannot be...
Between the beach and the train line that takes us to Lagos, there is a community of tough people who worked and survived to claim their space – the Bairro 25 de Abril, better known as the “Indians of Meia Praia” community. (more…)
It is from May to the end of August, a more active time for the cork growth, that the cork harvesting is done. Cork is a raw material with unique characteristics that, to be extracted, needs great expertise of the cork harvester. (more…)
One of the oldest types of fishing in the Algarve continues to persist on the beach of Meia Praia by the only master of the Xávega art (traditional trawl fishing) who is still licensed in Lagos – José Glória, known as Mestre Zé Bala – the skipper. (more…)
In the plains of the Alentejo, more precisely in the village of Alcáçovas, in Viana do Alentejo, one can still hear the distinct sound of the cattle bells that wander the pastures. (more…)
It’s in the confection details as well as the knowledge acquired from the past generations, that the richness of Portuguese regional gastronomy is based. If there are dishes that identify the Algarvian culinary heritage, the carapaus alimados (horse mackerel Algarve style) is, undoubtedly, one of them. (more…)
We must go back to the end of the World War I (1918) to find, in Porto, the pharmacy that would create the emblematic Pasta Medicinal Couto (Couto Toothpaste). (more…)
Mar d’Estórias is a project that bustles with ideas that are faithful to modernity, but very rooted in heritage. It is by knowing the past of our city that we also discover our history. (more…)
It is in the subtleness of the Portuguese people cultural preservation that Ângela Subtil (subtle) visits the Serra de Aire, more specifically, Minde. It is at the Local Association of Minde that a Portuguese manual loom works the natural wool to make the original patterns of Subtil’s products. (more…)
The re-encounter with the traditional food aromas of the Algarve is made with the versatility of the cornmeal. If formerly the xerém was intrinsically associated with the social and economic context of the Portuguese and the working class, today it remains an emblematic dish of the Algarve homemade cuisine....
It is on the stream banks that you can find the necessary material for Mr. José Rosa to create his pieces. Alongside a small stream in Monchique, Mr. José has planted wicker, which grows in the spring, to be able to work in the handmade baskets he makes in his spare time. ...
Today we approach something very Portuguese, a feeling very much our own – Saudade! An untranslated word meaning homesickness but with a more profound sense. The one that the immigrant carries within the luggage whenever he leaves this country, even for a brief period of time. (more…)
We set foot towards the other side of the Algarve, with chef Megan, to realise why there are traditional flavours that are worth keeping. (more…)
If there are stories that are worth telling about, a revolution ruled by songs and flowers is, undoubtedly, one of them. It is a story of oppressed people who reacted and protested against a dictatorial regime that lasted 48 years. (more…)
To mark World Coffee Day, Mar d’ Estórias refers to the pride of the Flor da Selva brand in preserving the heritage of Portuguese culture in coffee roasting. (more…)
The history of Portuguese beauty products is ancient and transverse to times. In search of tradition, Mar d’Estórias shares the vital praise that Benamôr makes to Portugal. (more…)
In Portugal, the widespread practice of offering a gift to the godchildren at Easter is a Catholic tradition. It is still usual to offer Easter Cake with eggs (“folar com ovos”) or sugar-coated, chocolate or caramelised almonds, to the godchildren, family and friends. One of the meanings of almonds...
The Alentejan blankets come from a heritage and a centuries’ long tradition rooted in the identity of the pastors and communities who worked the land. These were essential for the middle-class of earlier times and were used to protect them from the cold, but are now used for decorative...
The normally cold nights of January are flooded with traditional songs to welcome the New Year. Singing the Janeiras, is a recurring event in Portugal that starts at dawn on the Day of Kings (Dia de Reis), and is surrounded by a popular spirit of friends who come together...
Discover the suggestions from Mar d’Estórias for this Christmas and gift the ones you like best with Portuguese scents and flavours. (more…)