Traditional local produce market - Lagoa Comprida

Good morning, friends!

Welcome to my third post in this super interesting community!

Today I want to share with you one of the most typical markets you can find when you visit the remote interior of Portugal, and more specifically Serra da Estrela. Located very close to Lagoa Comprida, this building brings together under one roof some of the most famous local regional products... Anyone who knows me personally knows that I'd love to be able to snack all the time if I could! My doctor, of course, has a completely different opinion. Although my blood cholesterol levels are somewhat high, I'm fortunate that my family doctor doesn't make a big deal out of it in such a way as to put me on dyslipidemia tablets straight away. In her opinion, as I'm at an appropriate weight for my height, and I exercise at least five days a week, I just have to be careful about what I eat and drink. As I said, I could be very happy if I made my daily supper a glass of good quality wine, along with a loaf of homemade bread (rye and wheat), with a very thick crust and a very generous slice of mixed cheese (sheep and cow, or even sheep) and a well-scented ham, or a cured meat sausage... Could this be heaven for me? I think so...

At the end of the visit, I laughed out loud at the humorous name of a liqueur.... Hard on the wand!

The advice says to drink it chilled to keep it warm... Let's find out if that's really the case... Right? I have to confess that I was about to buy it to give to a friend as a joke, but as I was still a long way from home, I decided not to.

Have you been to Serra da Estrela? If so, have you eaten the typical cheeses there? They are well known for their delicate taste and velvety touch on the palate... Just imagining it makes me salivate like Pavlov's dog!

Market Friday.jpg

^{Photocolage made with Canva}

^{View of the pavilion. Photo taken from the eaves of the Marques da Silva Dam}

^{Outside the exhibition. Here we can see the carpets made from cowhide. They are highly coveted by tourists, especially}

^{Virgin wool blankets and cotton rugs are much more typical of this mountainous region.

I didn't like the variety here, but there were more interesting patterns in other stores I saw when I was there}

^{Backpacks, baskets, shoulder bags, pots and ceramics, plates and bowls

were all part of this balcony that served as a showcase for passers-by}

^{And here's my biggest soft spot... It's a good thing I'm very respectful of the medical advice I receive!}

^{Like cheese, what could be better than a nice ham or traditional sausage?}

^{I remember as a child my grandmother buying honey and míscaros (special mushrooms that you pick in the fields) from a shopkeeper who sold them door to door... what a good memory. Here, as you might expect, there isn't the pure honey I used to know, but one made from Calluna}

^{The famous liqueur I mentioned above... Sure to be a best seller. There's always someone who buys it,

even if it's with the excuse that they're giving it to a friend as a joke, but they end up taking it!}

^{The various models of pocket knives on sale. I can confirm that the quality of the blade is superb, and that it was really worth the money I paid for it}