Portugal
Our Portuguese breakfast centers on tosta mista, the classic toasted sandwich generously filled with ham and cheese. It is served with feijão, a home-style bean stew; salada mista, simply dressed with olive oil and fine Portuguese fleur de sel; and marmelada, a firm quince paste, paired with cheese. We also offered pão de ló, the cake brought to Nagasaki during the Age of Exploration that later inspired Japanese castella; Lisbon's famous pastel de nata egg tarts; and port wine, enjoyed around the world as an aperitif or digestif, along with other Portuguese desserts and drinks.
Portugal lies at the western edge of mainland Europe, at the far end of Eurasia. From the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries, it played a leading role in the great voyages from Europe to Africa, Asia and the Americas. After a Portuguese ship reached Tanegashima in 1543, Portuguese goods and culture, including Christianity and firearms, arrived in Japan and took root. For Japan, Portugal is a distant yet familiar country, with ties stretching back more than 470 years.
With thanks to
Turismo de Portugal
Tomoko Yasumori