Figs and almonds are a staple of the Algarve and so is Carob. Carob can be used in baking to substitute the use of chocolate. Carob trees in Portugal grow only in the Algarvian region. It is used to feed live stock and ground into flour for baking purposes. It contains protein, B vitamins, calcium, and magnesium amongst other vitamins and minerals.
It’s been a while since I have eaten some of the Algarvian flavours straight from the Algarve. I’ve been given some homemade folar which is very dense and almost cookie like in texture, a tad different from the ones I was used to growing up too, and the last bite was picture perfect. This cinnamon sugary Easter cake is delicious all year round, and you can find the recipe here: http://figosamendoas.blogspot.com/2010/03/folar-da-pascoa-easter-cake.html
Then there are beach memories. Long walks at the beach digging my toes right into the sand and having the foot indentations washed away by the waves breaking in. Looking for sea shells and wondering how many years they have been washing ashore and back into the ocean until I came across it. The ripples of the shells are no longer sharp and clearly home to fossils. I’ve never found shells of this type at any beach I have ever visited and I always keep some around to remind myself of summer days during the chilly cold winter months.
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