Lisboa Bar serves Cataplana Mar e Terra
Portuguese cuisine is diverse. Along the coast, it includes more fish. Inland, meat composes many dishes. The meal that Fernando Almeide prepares in his Lisboa bar brings together the sea and the land, "mar e terra."
Home at the harbor
Lisboa Bar is located directly at Boxhagener Platz in Friedrichshain. It's the only Portuguese restaurant in the eastern Berlin district. The cuisine of the seafarer nation is relatively unfamiliar in Germany. Fernando Almeida wants to change that. He concentrates on small dishes - "petiscos," or appetizers. Only Portuguese wine is served along with them.
People eat a lot in Portugal
"I notice that when I go back home to visit my mother. I'm used to eating smaller portions, but she looks at me and says: 'Son, you're starving. You have to eat something!' And I see that with other people. A fourth of people's salaries, maybe even more, is invested in food." - Fernando Almeida
The basic ingredients are fresh and good-quality
"In Lisbon, there's this huge market where you can buy everything. I was in awe of the place. The colors, the aromas, the flair. I was always asking myself how it was possible to transform these amazing ingredients into such wonderful dishes." - Fernando Almeida
No Portuguese chef without cataplana
The Portuguese have been cooking with this type of copper pot since the 8th century. The pot has two identical sides which are connected with hinges. If you flip it open, you can cook in both bowl-shaped parts. If you close the cataplana, you can steam the food.
For seafarers and landsmen
"It's a typical Portuguese dish, very unique. You mix the meat and the fish. I don't know why it's made this way. Maybe because Portuguese people are always willing to try out new things, just like with seafaring. They were always willing to discover new land even if the risk was great. That has markedly influenced Portuguese culture." - Fernando Almeida