Curry Houses

[Gary/Gaynor]

Found something interesting on the internet about curry, accounts from a Dutch traveller in 1598 referring to a dish called ‘Carriel’. He also refers to a Portuguese cookery book from the seventeenth century called Atre do Cozinha, with chilli-based curry powder called ‘caril’.
In the time of Richard I there was a revolution in English cooking . In the better-off kitchens, cooks were regularly using ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, galingale, cubebs, coriander, cumin, cardamom and aniseed, resulting in highly spiced cooking very similar to India. They also had a ‘powder fort’, ‘powder douce’ and ‘powder blanch’.
Then, in Richard II’s reign (1377-1399) the first real English cookery book was written. Richard employed 200 cooks and they, plus others including philosophers, produced a work with 196 recipes in 1390 called ‘The Forme of Cury’. ‘Cury’ was the Old English word for cooking derived from the French ‘cuire’ - to cook, boil, grill - hence cuisine.

That settles it then, we can happily eat curry at the O'Indiano and feel as if we are eating a bit of Portuguese history. Truely a European dish
Gaynor

[EMM]

The daft thing is that many of the so called popular indian dishes are about as authentic as Jordans breasts.
Chicken Tikka Massala was invented to respond to requests from English customers for " gravy" to go with the original food as cooked by the first arrivals in the in the fifties.
Balti means bucket ( its not a recipe just the dish it is served in ).
Karahai is also a serving dish.

[ken]

We would like to see in the village somewhere that is prepared to take a risk and offer more regional Portuguese dishes.
You are right in that the Algarve being a traditionally poor area does not have such a varied cuisine or one that would appeal to many who just want to play safe when on holiday

.

Agree that most of the menus on restaraunt hill are pretty much identical, and you could recite most of the menu without even looking at it. Often its just a choice of where you think their versions of a dish are best (e.g. if I want a Portuguese style steak I always pick A Gale) or you just like the place.

Interestingly, apart from stalwarts such as A Gale and Villa Medici which seem to have regular custom all year round, the places in CVO that do take a risk and offer something different, appear to be reaping the benefits. Elle and Ella (although more European rather than traditional Portguese) is always busy, as are the 2 tapas places (Taste and Tapas bar in square).

[Gary/Gaynor]

I'm not sure there is anything traditional to any region that hasn't been tampered with over the centuries. We welcomed traders from the far east and middle east so it's a mish mash of tastes that have developed with some countries adopting them as traditional. love experimenting with my cooking.I welcome the fact that settlers in a country bring with them a little part of their country of origin, why not. Here in Holland we have Moroccan, Surinam, Turkish which the Dutch have certainly welcomed into their culture.
Gaynor

[ken]

I'm not sure there is anything traditional to any region that hasn't been tampered with over the centuries.
Gaynor

Totally agree, wherever you are in Europe its very hard to find food that has not been influenced by other cultures in some way. Same applies in Portugal, tastes evolve and what people ate 30 years ago just would not appeal now (many traditional dishes would be considered bland). Yes Chicken Tikka Masala may be a bastardised english dish, but if done well can taste amazing.

[Roundy]

As someone who despises fish and lamb, I am thrilled that steakhouses, Italians, curry houses and Pizza places can all be found in CVO. God forbid visitors to Ireland should have to eat cabbage and bacon all the time.

[biffa]

Bit of a trek but Pashmina in Lagos is raher special if you like indian food.

[cereza]

You are right Biffa and the Pashmina in Praia da Luz is even better in my opinion although it's not cheap.

[sunman]

popped out for dinner last night, restaurant hill is a bit of a ghost town; ended up in O Indiano, by 8 o'clock they were turning people away.

went a bit off piste and had a nice keema peas, deliciously spiced; their little pots with the fire underneath keeps the food nice & warm throughout dinner

they've put a little christmas tree by the door, poor thing looked like the dogs had been at it; we gave it a little tidy up, if other folk do the same it might look quite good by christmas