Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Taberna Típica Quarta-Feira
is a rustic 14-table tavern, festooned with patriotic
Portuguese decor, where Zé Dias and his family proudly and expertly serve country cook-
ing, including rabbit and partridge in season. Don't expect to be able to order from a menu
here—they usually serve just the food that they felt like cooking that day, making this a
truly unique experience. Sit down and enjoy the “Trust Zé Special” (€25). He'll bring out
the works, offering fun samples of whatever's in season, including his house wine (there's
no wine list...just one decent house wine), fine desserts, dessert wine, and coffee (Mon
12:30-15:00, Tue-Sat 12:30-15:00 & 19:30-22:00, closed Sun, hidden on a narrow street
just north off Rua da Mouraria at Rua do Inverno 16, tel. 266-707-530). Zé's taverna is no
place for vegetarians.
Versatile Cork
The cork extracted from the bottle of wine you're having with dinner is probably more
local than the wine. The Alentejo region is known for producing cork. From the center
of a baseball to a gasket on the space shuttle, from bulletin boards to coasters, cork is
a remarkable substance, spongy and pliable, but resistant to water.
Cork—used mainly for bottle stoppers—comes from the bark of the cork oak
(Quercus suber)
, a 30-foot tree with a sprawling canopy and knotty trunk that grows
well in dry heat and sandy soil. After 25 years, a tree is mature enough for harvest.
The outer bark is stripped from the trunk, leaving a “wound” of red-colored “blushing”
inner bark. It takes nine years for the bark to grow back, and then it can be harvested
again—a cork tree keeps producing for more than 100 years. After harvesting, the bark
is boiled to soften it up, then flattened. Machines cut the cork into the desired shape, or
punch out bottle stoppers. These are then polished, producing tasteless, odorless seals
for wine bottles.
