When the well known American chef, Anthony Bourdain, passed away, someone on “Twitter” wrote that it felt as if a close friend had passed away. And we did felt something similar.
When we organise our trips by ourselves, one of the first things we would do, was watching a documentary about that particular country/city made by A. Bourdain. We liked him because he would give not only an overview about food, but also about culture, history and tradition.
Thanks to him we discovered awesome places that we still remember places such as Istanbul, or even Lisbon!
A. Bourdain’s first visit to Porto
A. Bourdain visited Portugal 4 times.
Maybe not everyone knows, but he became a famous chef in the restaurant named “Les Halles” in New York, at the time owned by José Meireles, a Portuguese immigrant.
So, the first time he visited Porto and the north of Portugal was in 2002, with his show “A Cook’s Tour”.
A. Bourdain in Azores
In 2009 he visited the Azores with “No Reservations” and in this episode he said:
Portugal was the first country where I went to, to do a show, where, you know, they have four hour lunches and they’ve been talking what they’re having for dinner.
And it’s true! Of course, not everyday, but on the summer holidays when the whole family gathers and everyone is relaxed, you have to get used to loooong lunches, looooong dinners and talks about food.
Food is very important to the Portuguese but, what I like the most, is that you can get good quality for a reasonable price. And I see that Portuguese cuisine is very rich but maybe not so well “exported” as are others.
Visits to Lisbon and again to Porto
In 2012, he came to Lisbon with “No Reservations” and gave us a broad overview, not only of food, while accompanied by some of the best younger generation of Portuguese chefs.
Then, in 2017, he comes back to Porto and the north of Portugal with “Parts Unknown”.
Even if you don’t consider yourself a foodie, I recommend you include any of these episodes in your to-do list before you land (watching during your flight is always an option…). Trust me, you’ll find he visits restaurants for all tastes and wallets, but a great experience is always guaranteed.