Portuguese Embroidery: Handmade Beauty

The greatest appeal of a handmade product is getting a unique, one of a kind item that is not mass produced. Aside from the quality, durability and artistic value of the item, the fact that an item has been made by hand means that it will contain traits and nuances that will makes it distinctive from all the others.

This is why hand Portuguese embroidered fabrics are very sought after. In Portugal, you will find many of these, whether you are looking for bar linen or traditional linen or cotton, the quality of the products will definitely grab your attention.

The Different Types of Portuguese Linen

There are three main types of linen in the land of Portugal, and learning about the differences of these three would certainly help you when you are searching for something that would suit your tastes. At the very least, knowing the terms will help guide you in the right direction. The three types are traditional, bar and silvas linen.

The Features of the Different Linen Types

The first is traditional linen. This type of linen is identifiable through the different colors it uses. Reds, blues and whites are used together with other colors to create a beautiful weave. The images used in these patterns are often flowers, brambles and hearts.

The second type of linen is the bars linen. This type of linen is recognized through the uniquely colored outside bar or border of the fabric that is a different color from the main cloth. Bar linen usually make good cover cloths as the border pattern frame surfaces nicely.

The last type is the Silvas linen. Silvas is the term used for embroidery patterns of brambles with hearts. These patterns are usually done in blue thread over white or cream fabrics. The resulting design is a subtle yet beautiful effect; the stark contrast of the blue on fabric makes for a fine textile design.

Unique Portuguese Delicacies

Europe has been home to one of the finest culinary delights in the world and Portuguese cuisine figures as one with the most flavorful and spicy in the continent. You can thank its history of exploring the world for spices in the early 15th century and bringing them back to Portugal. The rest of Europe would get to enjoy the introduction of saffron, paprika, ginger, curry, pepper and coriander from Portugal’s maritime exploits.
Portuguese Cheese
It’s not only the folks in Switzerland and Amsterdam that make great cheeses. Portugal is another and you just have to savor the most popular in the Queijo da Serra, a cheese made from sheep milk and pasteurized in the Serra de Estrela region where the highest elevation in the country is recorded. Its smooth texture and subtle flavor is reminiscent to the best Brie cheese.
Then there’s the cheese produced in Azeitao available only in the spring. And from the wine producing region of Alentejo comes the Serpa with its sweet flavor when young and gets to be drier when aged. There’s also the Cabereiro, a stronger flavored cheese produced from goat milk in the Azores islands and used in various local dishes grated like parmesan cheese.
A Seafood Paradise
You can expect a country facing the Atlantic to its west and south to have a rich culinary tradition for seafoods. Dried codfish figure in the country’s most popular seafood delicacy in the Bacalhau which has enjoyed various ways to prepare and cook depending on the region and this is why no two Portuguese restaurants have the same tasting Bacalhau dish.
Other dish specialties include the sole (Linguado), the red mullet (salmonete), swordfish (peixe espada) and the eel (eiroz). Then who can forget about sardines (sardinha), one of the country’s more popular seafood exports that rival the more popular Spanish Sardines. Lastly, we can’t forget about clams from Algarve, cooked in the native “cataplana” dish with bacon, sausage and herbs.
A Kingdom of Fancy Meats and Fowl
Next to seafoods, pork meat enjoys widespread popularity especially those raised in the cork oak groves in the wine producing Alentejo regions that have been fed with acorn and truffles that widely grow in the region and give pigs their distinct flavor when roasted. Succulent pork meats diced and marinated with red peppers and clams is a favorite dish called “carne de porco a alentejana.”
Portugal is also famous for its “smoked” sausages like the salpicao and the paio. One exotic dish gourmets should not miss is the “tripas a moda do Porto” a popular dish made of chicken tripe cooked with smoked pork sausage (chourico), smoked ham, dried beans, onions and spices.

(If you want to read about Portuguese topics in another language such as German you can visit Portugal Web correspondent translation).

Portuguese Horses

There are basically two types of native Portuguese horses that have roamed different part of the peninsula since prehistoric times. The first type is the Iberian pony found mostly in the northern mountain regions of Portugal with a straight head profile that have evolved into the present-day Garrano breed.

The other type is bigger with a convex profile roaming the southern regions of the peninsula. This type is believed to be the original Iberian horse in what is today known as the Sorraia breed. From it evolved the now famous Lusitano horse after generations of cross-breeding with other superior thoroughbreds from conquering peoples who have settled into the region. The Lusitano is the superior breed of the three and the most famous.

The Lusitano Breed

The Lusitano horse breed is the most well-known of Portuguese horses. It is a well-bred stallion that can be found in great numbers in France, Brazil and Mexico. Its historic roots can be traced to a number of cross breeding with the Berber and Arabian horse that entered the Iberian peninsula form the many conquering waves of Carthaginians, Romans, Germanic tribes and Moors from Arab who have settled in the region. A Greek legend has it that the Lusitania horse found on the banks of the Tagus river had the wind for its father. This is a very poetic metaphor to the speed of the Lusitano horse.

In 1942, a team of veterinarians from the National Stud conferred the name Lusitano to the special breed of horses born and bred in native Portugal at the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in 1942, provided they posses the desired characteristics that would allow them to be inscribed in the Portuguese Stud Book that was created in 1889. It was not until 1962 that an agreement was reached between Portuguese and Spanish breeders about using the name Lusitano and Espanhol, respectively.

The Sorraia Breed

The Portuguese Sorraia horse is believed to be closely related to the pre-historic Iberian horse. It was so named by its discoverer, Dr Ruy D’Andrade, sometime in 1945 in a valley where the river Sorraia runs through. The Sorraia river is a tributary to the Tagus river that runs through the Portugal country and is a merged river from the Sor and Raia rivers, hence the name. Extant rock engravings dating back to the Ice age reveal a horse with features similar to the Sorraia horse in the Iberian Peninsula. There are just a few of these breed and they often to have high incidences of in-breeding.

The Garrano Breed

The origins of the Portuguese Garrano horse can be traced back to the pre-historic Iberian pony which is indigenous to the northern mountain regions of the Iberian Peninsula. The caves of La Pasiega and Altamira reveal rock drawing dating back to prehistoric times that preserve the ancestral Gerrano horse. There is little Gerrano influence on the current equestrian horses as they have been mostly used for agriculture and transportation. They have short heads and members with a straight head profile. Garranos are mainly found in the northern regions of Portugal such as in Serra do Geres.

Riding the Lusitano in the Algarve

The historic country of Portugal is home to some of the best regions that lend magnificently to an unforgettable horseback riding experience. A diverse terrain formation and an all-year Mediterranean climate give ample opportunities for horseback to thrive as a tourist activity.
The Algarve coastal plains surrounding the Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lobo regions in Portugal provides almost endless sandy soils through centuries old pine woods that make for comfortable and thrilling horseback riding. This has been a favourite riding site for years. You get the great sights and sound of the Portuguese countryside as you take the Silves inland regions through valleys, gorges and dense virgin eucalyptus forests. A horse ride into the Alentejo regions around Evora is an uplifting ride through the winds of wide open countryside spaces that have remained unspoiled for centuries. Going through virtually uninhabited locales with wide rolling hills West of Portimao is one experience horseback riding visitors shouldn’t miss.

Riding on the Lusitano

The best sights of the Portuguese country are said to get their best view while horseback riding. And what better way to do that than with the world renowned Lusitano horse that is the equestrian pride of Portugal. The local’s love for horses is revealed in the Lusitano, one of the best horse breed in the world.
Centuries of equestrian history that first figured in the country’s colourful military past has brought to bear an excellent breed of Arabian and English thoroughbreds in the Lusitano.
It is an excellent breed that is gentle in nature that made it a favourite among classical horse trainers and equestrian events that allowed the affair to flourish as virtually a national pastime of Portugal. Its elegant stance, proud gait and agility make the Lusitano horse perfect for competition in both domestic and international equestrian sports.
When going into horseback riding in the countryside, it is best to get a Lusitano horse. There are equestrian organizations that provide them for reasonable rental fees for both locals and tourists wanting to get away from the bustle of the modern metropolis.

Describing Portugal Web

The country of Portugal sits in the southern-most tip of the Iberian Peninsula in Southern Europe. It shares a common border and historic traditions with Spain as having conquered and inspired the cultures of many lands across the Atlantic, Africa and Asia. There’s a definite Mediterranean flavor to its cultural heritage and this shows quite beautifully in its ornate and flamboyant designs one can find in all aspects of Portuguese architecture, arts, designs and craftsmanship.

This heritage of exquisite craftsmanship and traditional designs can be found behind the products we offer here at Portugal Web. We have equestrian, embroidery, wine and gourmet products all made in Portugal. Complete information about each product line is provided in this site. The latest news about them can be found at Portugal Blog and they are offered for online shopping at Portugal Shop.

Equestrian Portugal

Europe has along storied equestrian tradition dating back since the Roman Empire. The equestrian history started with horses as a means of transport usually reserved to the military. Over the centuries, it has evolved into a leisure and sporting activity where you now have the Equestrian games as part of the Olympics as well as in other regional and local sporting events. It’s really all about horses and the sport of horseback riding.

Like many other European countries, Portugal shares in this tradition and punctuates it with its native colors and unique cultural aesthetics in the accessories that perpetuate the equestrian heritage. At Portugal Web, we live up to this tradition with the Equestrian Portugal product line of Lusitano saddles, horse tack, bridles and riding apparels. It is no wonder that equestrian world is now richer with Portugal Web’s Lusitano brand products delivered in 16 countries.

Viana do Castelo Portuguese embroidery

The Portuguese town of Viana do Castelo is nestled in the beautiful northern Minho region. Its people enjoy a long cherished tradition of impeccably distinct rural arts exemplified by its fine hand-crafted embroidery. Embroidery is an artistic craft anchored on meticulous handiwork in needles and thread to showcase this historic traditions and at Portugal Web, we are proud to carry a line of embroidered Viana do Castelo linen and cotton fabrics in the form of table cloths and tray cloths that are of timeless beauty.

Portuguese Wine

Portugal is proud of its long history of wine-making. Despite its small geography, Portugal it has the right soils and climate in the northern and southern regions to cultivate vineyards of excellent quality. As the 10th largest wine producers in the world in 2004, Portugal has been known to deliver to the world some of the finest wines like its moscatel de Setubal, Madeira, Port wines and a slew of world-class red wines and white wines.

Portuguese Gourmet
Fine dining won’t be complete without gourmet food. They are rooted in many European epicurean traditions and Portugal has one of the finest in the world. Portugal enjoys a tradition of food preparation that underpins the distinctly Portuguese aroma and flavor that come with its olive oil and stone pine nuts. Portugal web is happy to offer them in this site.