From our own correspondent - Empada de porco

I have spent the past two weeks at the most westerly point of Europe, known to ancient mariners as the “End of the world”, their last view of Europe before they set off into uncharted waters, eventually to discover the new world. Life here is simple for the traveler, long days spent on quiet beaches, surfing, sailing and scuba diving. Lunches invariably made up of grilled fish and cold beer, enjoyed slowly in the shade of a beachside bar or fisherman’s café in the harbor.

The locals are relaxed and, deprived of the usual tourist attractions and calm seas of the Mediterranean resorts, overseas visitors tend to be of the more adventurous type, interested in the rolling breakers and beating sun. From my current vantage point I can see just a group of 4, impossibly tanned and toned, surfboards cast about, soaking up the sun, scanning the horizon.

No Pies

This idyll of barbecued fish had left me wistful for the home country and whilst scanning through a local guide book I noted that a pioneering Englishman had started to make Pork Pies in Portugal. On my next trip to the supermarket I spied the pie – In a freezer cabinet! I can only surmise that local tastes do not extend to a need for daily pie sales from the deli counter and so this pie has been relegated to the cold box. The specialist nature of the item came at a financial cost too, this pie set me back (at current exchange rates) nearly £5, for a pie of 350g.  The Portugese translation : "empada de porco"

I took the pie back to the house I had taken in the little fishing village of Burgau and left it to defrost. The next day, it was time for the tasting. The pie was of the “vented” type, with a hole in the top, inserting the knife it was apparent that, perhaps as a result of freezing, the pastry had an unsettlingly “flexible” texture, but the knife cut a clean slice and the meat filling held together well. Unfortunately, the colour of the filling ranged from pink to grey, giving the pie a “part cooked” appearance which was not appealing. Still, after all that grilled fish and fresh barbecued vegetables, I was hankering for pie and took a bite.

The pastry texture and jelly surround were of a surprisingly pleasant texture and the meat itself a great consistency, this pie had all the hallmarks of a premium product. But then the salt hit. After days being pounded by the Atlantic surf, I feel that I was more habituated to salt than usual, but the level of salt in this pie was untenable. I couldn’t believe the saltiness and hesitantly tested the pastry, which was, as suspected very, very salty. I then tried the meat, again far, far saltier than is comfortable. I persevered with the slice of pie but was left thirty and salted to the point of being preserved. The pie went back in the fridge and I tried again the next day, but again the salt was too much and the remainder of the pie was unfortunately abandoned.

 Flavour balance: Salt: 0%, no other discernible flavours.
 Overall Score: 2/10 (2 points for blazing a trail in a new market, 8 withheld for salt poisoning)