Antonio Tanger Correa (right), Ambassador of Portugal; with Manuel Santos (left), Director of Food and Beverages Fours Season Hotel Doha; and Portuguese Chef, Miguel Castro Silva; at the Portuguese Gastronomic Week reception at Four Seasons Hotel Doha. Pi
DOHA: Portugal has brought a slice of its rich culture to Qatar with the first ever Portuguese Gastronomic Week which recently launched at Four Seasons Hotel Doha.
“It has been our goal to bring the Portuguese cuisine to Qatar. Portuguese cuisine is a well known, very distinct cuisine and we brought one of the most famous chefs in Portugal who knows Portuguese cuisine deeply,” Portugal’s Ambassador to Qatar Antonio Tanger Correa, told local media at a reception on Monday to mark the week.
The ongoing Portuguese Gastronomic Week, which runs until Friday, features Chef Miguel Castro Silva, who owns and runs seven restaurants in Portugal, showcasing an exciting epicurean journey to Portugal for guests to savour.
Describing Portuguese cuisine as “very diversified” which has a long history, Silva said, “I brought a menu that will give a general idea of what to eat in Portugal. It’s a menu where we try to show the gastronomic highlights from north to south of Portugal.”
Silva has prepared an exquisite seven-course tasting menu at Il Teatro which comprises smoked mackerel on vegetables; almond vichyssoise with smoked duck; seabass with orange and fennel; codfish in pil pil, potato, onion and egg; slow braised rib with dry tomato risotto, sheep cheese mousse, cassis sorbet; and sponge cake with lemon curd.
“We are honoured to welcome acclaimed Chef Miguel Castro Silva and cultivate an exciting week of culinary arts showcasing flavourful food, soulful musical performances, and the opportunity to celebrate and explore Portuguese culture, in the heart of Doha,” said Manuel Santos, Director of Food and Beverage at Four Seasons Hotel Doha.
The week also highlights Portuguese music with a performance tomorrow by Maria Ana Bobone, one of the most recognized performers of fado music in Portugal. She will also perform along with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday at Qatar National Convention Centre.
“Fado is a Portuguese national song which is inscribed on the list of Unesco World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. So we have brought a mixture of cuisine and culture. This is one step further for Qatar and Portugal to know each other better,” said Ambassador Correa.
