2:26pm Wednesday 16th March 2005
I WONDER if Delia Smith and Nigella Lawson, the darlings of every aspiring home cook, have even heard of a recipe called Heaven's Bacon? Or, then again, maybe Nun's Belly and, even saucier, Angels Pouch writes Ken Bennett.
Well, they would have to go back a thousand years to discover the original ingredients of these delicate offerings, which, even today, are still top treats in Portugal.
The devout nuns prayed for more than just their daily bread in the convents that dotted the country's little-known central region: they were conjuring up their own storm of mouth-watering cakes and pastries.
Not your average, heavyweight apple crumble and rhubarb pies. But light, airy, palate-fizzing surprises, with as you can see even more surprising names.
I am in Beiras, the country's central region, and the complete opposite to the well-worn tourist trail to the fashionable Algarve sunspots.
From Porto Airport, it is a two-hour drive to the historic university town of Aveiro, which squats contentedly at the mouth of the River Vouga on a marshy lagoon called The Ria, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean for 30 miles.
To get a heron's eye view of the town and its canals, I boarded a barcos moliceros, a distinctive, brightly coloured boat with steeply curved prow and stern, that once ferried seaweed to fertilise nearby farmland. Good value at around £4.50 an hour.
Better still though, you can borrow at absolutely no charge one of the 200 bicycles, left at strategic tourist places around the town: just how trusting is that?
I trundled along pavements and narrow, cobbled alleyways, stumbling across the town's vibrant fish market and stopping off at the elegant Mercado do Peixe restaurant, where dinner cost a very reasonable £15 a head, including wine.
It gave me time to contemplate that when the Duke of Wellington drove Napoleon's French Army out of Portugal in 1810, he earned their everlasting gratitude.
We are still reaping the benefits of the Iron Duke's Peninsula War campaign today as their oldest allies, and are warmly welcomed.
You can feel the special affinity as many England fans discovered during last year's European championships.
And now, with some justification, tourist chiefs are confident of a bumper year for visitors this year.
Away from the open-handed hospitality, I was impressed with the modest prices allowing you access to some of their colourful, slightly mystical, history. For just £1-40, it's well worth visiting the town's museum in a 15th Century former Dominican convent.
Aveiro and the nearby village of Ovar are famous for their azulejos decorative ceramic tiles which appear on many of the public and private buildings.
A 40-minute drive away is the Vista Alegre porcelain factory, founded in 1824 by Jose Ferreira Pinto Basto.
Senor Basto and his English wife Barbara had 15 children and the company, employing 1,000 people, is now run by their great, great, great, great grandson.
A museum of exhibits is open every day except Mondays for £1 admission and the shop next door could solve all your holiday gift problems if you are looking for memorable, but distinctly local presents.
The city of Coimbra (pronounced Kweembra), where England played in Euro 2004, houses Portugal's oldest university and became the country's original capital when its first king, Afonso Henriques, liberated the land from the occupying Moors in the 12th Century.
But I am drawn back to the dining table and the country's other great tradition: fine if little known cooking.
To me, the Portuguese are the unsung heroes of the culinary world.
For example, what other country could create 365 recipes one for each day of the year for their favourite dish, bacalhau, sun-dried and salted codfish?
They've also designed their own ranchos (meat stews), caldereidas (fish stews) and feijoadas (bean stews).
And I bet you didn't know that Britain's favourite curry-house scorcher, the vindaloo, comes from the Portuguese for wine (vinho) and garlic (alho).
Explorers such as Vasco da Gama and Pedro Alvares Cabral developed the spice trade as well as bringing great wealth to their homeland.
But hush. I'm tucking into a smooth, egg-paste parcel called ovos moles which have become part of local folklore.
And amen, just like the other desserts, it tastes divine: eat your hearts out Delia and Nigella!
Getting there
TAP Air Portugal flies from London Heathrow to Porto from £83 return. Reservations: 0845-6010932 or visit www.tap-airportugal.co.uk
Where to stay
Hotel Las Americas, Aveiro, costs around £45 a room. Tel: 00351-234-384640 or e-mail info@hotelasmericas.com. Quinta das Lagrimas Hotel, Coimbra, costs from £80 a room per night, telephone:
00351-239-802380 or visit www.quintadaslagrimas.pt) Bussaco Palace Hotel, Bussaco, starts at £140 a room per night (00351-231-937970) or e-mail bussaco@almeidahotels.com
How to find out more
For further information, telephone the Portuguese Tourism Office on 0845-3551212 (local rates) or e-mail icep.london@icep.pt
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