These are “Recipes that tell stories”. This initiative aims to preserve local knowledge and recipes, traditions and products, some even lost in time.

The Association of Historical Villages of Portugal is developing a project to collect traditional recipes with the aim of recovering the “extraordinary gastronomic legacy of the territory”.

The project “Recipes that Tell Stories - Gastronomy and Wines from the Historical Villages of Portugal” constitutes “an intense investigation in the field of food archeology that started in June this year”, according to the promoter.

The Association of Historical Villages of Portugal states in a statement that the initiative "started with the collection of testimonies from the resident population, with the aim of identifying the recipes that are the essence of the territory".

He adds that it is “an extraordinary inventory of ancestral knowledge, traditional knowledge and artisanal techniques that will now be perpetuated, but also promoted within the local catering and hospitality sector (with harmonization of wines from the region), in order to reinforce the Historic Villages of Portugal as a truly unique and exceptional tourist destination ”.

“For three months, many of the residents of the 12 Historical Villages (mostly elders) were interviewed, with a view to the detailed collection of knowledge, recipes, methods of manufacture, specificities, traditions and endogenous products that exist or that have even been “Lost” in time. In other words, the necessary information for the inventory of the gastronomic menu of the territory, as well as the methods of making the respective dishes ”, is explained.

Once the recipes have been identified, they are currently being developed by the School of Hospitality and Tourism of Coimbra, with harmonization of wines from the region, through a partnership with the Beira Interior Regional Wine Commission (CVRBI).

In addition to the development of the prescription form, the same school will also be responsible for conducting workshops and training sessions for private agents in the hotel sector and restoration of the territory covered.

The Network of Historic Villages of Portugal integrates the locations of Almeida, Belmonte, Castelo Mendo, Castelo Novo, Castelo Rodrigo, Idanha-a-Velha, Linhares da Beira, Marialva, Monsanto, Piódão, Sortelha and Trancoso.

The president of the Association of Historical Villages, António Robalo, mentions, cited in the note, that the project “is extraordinarily important for the consolidation of the territory as a sustainable quality tourist destination”.

In turn, Rodolfo Queirós, president of CVRBI, says that he welcomes the challenge for that entity “to harmonize the menus of the 12 Historical Villages of Portugal with the wines of Beira Interior”.

José Luís Marques, director of the School of Hotel and Tourism of Coimbra, also mentioned in the communiqué, declares that the institution he runs “enthusiastically welcomes the creation of a gastronomic menu for the Historical Villages of Portugal”.

“We are sure that it will be a successful project, with results and inspiration for other entities that want to invest in their territory, in their people and in Tourism”, finally considers André Soares, of the Associação Turismo Turismo .