Preparing Codfish Cake at Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau
After a tiring day exploring the city of Lisbon, I finally came to the day where I didn’t plan on doing anything but just walk around. I seldom get this luxury since I would usually be going around and making the most of the visit. Lisbon and Portugal as a whole has been a very pleasant surprise for me. I know that my friends have been raving about this place but this is the first time that I have been here and I was very happy with what I have seen. Lisbon is the capital city and it is probably expected to be crowded. Some people may have difficulty enjoying such places but I still find joy in seeing places like these.
Codfish Cake With Cheese
Perhaps the main surprise for me was the food of Portugal. For the longest time, the only Portuguese food I knew was egg tart, only because they usually prefix it with “Portuguese” in front. Then came peri-peri chicken which was a revelation for me. It is too bad they don’t make peri-peri chicken like this elsewhere. The shopping streets of Lisbon are lined with food places even snacks. I saw this place called Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau. Bacalhau is actually salted cod. It is kind of ironic that a place known for fresh seafood has preserved fish as their favorite snack. Bacalhau is also commonly served as an appetizer in restaurants.
In this place, Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau specializes in turning Bacalhau into a type of snack. While, it may be a little strange for some westerners, it is essentially fish cake which is common in Asia. The cod is mixed with dough and turned into something like a pastry. It is fried and injected with different flavors, in this case, it has cheese in it. It seems to be a popular place since people come to queue up for it. Maybe most of them are tourists but I didn’t think the fish cake was bad at all. The lady at the window preparing all the codfish seems to be very used to getting her photo taken making the cake that she would pose quite often.
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