Lisbon: City of Discovery

by Pamela Schweppe, for Grand Circle

According to legend, Odysseus vowed to protect the beautiful Helen of Troy, even after she decided to marry another man. That commitment marked the beginning of a ten-year journey, during which he invented the Trojan horse and battled sea monsters, giants, and other fearsome creatures. On one particular day during his journey, he saw a bolt of lightning burst into flame in a distant land. It was there that Zeus, the God of thunder and lightning, instructed him to build a city named Olissopo. We know that city today as Lisbon.

Certainly, Lisbon is a city that seems to have been favored by the gods. The westernmost of all mainland European capitals, it enjoys a stunning location on one of the most beautiful bays in the world, at the point where the Tagus River empties into the Atlantic. It is said that the Tagus, the largest river in Iberia, is so wide in Lisbon, it could contain all the warships in the world. Lisbon also boasts a mild Mediterranean climate, with the warmest winters of all Europe’s cities. It has been called the “White City” for its natural clear light and average of 2,900 to 3,300 hours of sunshine a year.

A city steeped in history

With more than 20 centuries of history behind it, Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been settled even before Rome, London, and Paris. It is believed to have been founded by the Phoenicians around 1200 BC. Attracted by its setting on the Tagus, the Phoenicians dubbed the city Allis Ubbo—translated variously as “Safe Harbor,” “Friendly Bay,” and “Enchanting Port.”

The Romans were the next to control the city, naming it Felicitas Julia after Julius Caesar and building an underground complex of chambers, rooms, bridges, and corridors (though this network still exists today, it is rarely open to the public, due to safety considerations). The Romans were followed by Germanic tribes beginning in the fifth century AD. During the eighth century, the city was conquered by the Moors, who named it Lissabona and declared it the capital of the region. The Moors ruled here for 450 years, leaving an indelible mark on the city’s architecture—most prominently in the form of Castelo de Sao Jorge (St. George’s Castle), built on the ruins of Roman and Visigoth fortresses high on a hill overlooking the Tagus.

In 1147, the city was captured by the Christians in one of the most important battles of the Second Crusade. At that time, the Kingdom of Portugal was confined to the northern part of the territory we know as Portugal today, and it was Portugal’s King Afonso I (also known as Afonso Henriques) who pushed the boundary of this kingdom beyond the Tagus River. Interestingly, although Lisbon has served as the Portuguese capital since 1255, it is unusual in that it has never been granted that official status.

Monuments to the Age of Exploration

Of course, Lisbon’s rise to prosperity and prominence on the world stage occurred during Portugal’s great Age of Exploration, when legendary explorers set out to discover a New World. At the time, Europeans depended on spices to disguise the flavor and aroma of meat that spoiled over the long winter months, and traders were also eager to gather stores of gold from the great continent of Africa. By the 14th century, the Portuguese fleet had begun sailing into the waters around North Africa searching for a trade route that would help them avoid the northern Mediterranean ports that were controlled by the northern Italian city-states of Venice and Genoa. In 1415, the Moroccan trading port of Ceuta fell to Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigator, who founded a School of Navigation in the city of Sagres and launched the Age of Exploration.

The turning point in this great age of exploration occurred in 1498, when Vasco da Gama first charted a course to India. Portuguese explorers became the first Europeans to cross the Equator, round Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, establish trade with China and Japan, visit Australia and Newfoundland, and even circumnavigate the globe. As a result, Portugal became the wealthiest country in Europe, and the riches of this heyday may be seen in the Manueline style of architecture that survived the earthquake that devastated Lisbon in 1755.

Among these are two monuments that, together, have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery. Both have also been named among the Seven Wonders of Portugal by the Ministry of Culture.

The icon of the city, Belem Tower was built in 1515 as a fortress to guard the entrance to the Tagus River and as a commemoration of Vasco da Gama’s expedition. Although it has been used as a prison for political prisoners, a telegraph post, and a storage site for ammunition over the course of its history, it is best remembered as the last image seen by sailors setting off on their voyages of discovery and as an excellent example of Manueline architecture.

Also an excellent example of this style, and a monument to the Age of Exploration is the Jeronimos Monastery, which began construction in 1501 and which was established to celebrate the success of Portuguese explorers. Set on the banks of the Tagus River, the monastery became the home of the Order of St. Jerome (Hieronymites, or dos Jeronimos), who were charged by King Manuel I to celebrate daily mass in perpetuity for himself and his successors, as well as Prince Henry the Navigator. Largely restored since the 1755 earthquake, the monastery was turned over to the state in 1833 and is now home to a collection of museums.

Welcome to the neighborhood

Today, Lisbon remains one of the leading cities of Europe, playing an important role in a number of industries, including international trade and finance, education, tourism, entertainment, and the arts. Lively and cosmopolitan, embracing both the old and the new, Lisbon has also been named the most livable Portuguese city in an annual survey published by a leading Portuguese newspaper.

Part of the city’s charm is to be found in its many neighborhoods, each with its own identity. The Belem neighborhood is home to Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery, boasts several monuments in addition to those cited by UNESCO, as well as attractive gardens and parks.

The heart of the city is Baixa, whose reconstruction after the earthquake is a fine example of urban planning and a forerunner of earthquake-resistant architecture. Today, it offers the city’s best shopping, as well as Terreiro do Paco (Black Horse Square) and Praça do Rossio (Pedro V Square).

Lisbon’s oldest district is the Alfama neighborhood. Because this area was largely unscathed by the earthquake, many vestiges of the city’s Moorish heritage still survive here. Its name is derived from the Arabic word for “fountains” or “baths” (al-hamma), in honor of the public baths that were popular here from the 17th to early 20th century. Fado, Portugal’s unique form of the blues, is often heard in bars and restaurants throughout this neighborhood.

Other popular districts include Bairro Alto, an eclectic and multicultural neighborhood known for its youth culture and vibrant music scene, and Chiado, a cultural enclave whose pretty, black-and-white cobbled streets—symbolic of the city’s long-ago Christian conquest—are a tribute to the rich and storied history of this beautiful city.

Monuments to the Age of Exploration are just one of Lisbon’s delights

Recipe: Portuguese Caldo Verde

In 2011, Portugal held a nationwide contest to determine which local delicacies would be deemed “the 7 Wonders of Portuguese Cuisine.” The list of 21 finalists included three entries in seven categories: soup, appetizers, shellfish, fish, meat, game, and desserts. Any recipe with a documented history of at least 50 years that “represented traditional Portuguese values” was allowed to be submitted for nomination.

Attempting to represent a national cuisine with just seven dishes would be a challenge for any country—but it was especially so for Portugal, where each region has its own unique specialties … and food-obsessed locals to defend them. Naturally, the issue was divisive. In the end, classics like pork with clams and salt cod failed to make the cut. Some argued against the inclusion of Serra da Estrela cheese over cod cakes as an appetizer. But one dish had an undisputable place on the list: caldo verde, literally, “green broth.”

People all over the country adore caldo verde, a potato and cabbage soup typically served as a first course or light supper. It has been immortalized in poetry and song—including a classic penned by poet Reinaldo Ferreira and sung by Amalia Rodrigues, Uma Casa Portuguesa (“A Portuguese House”): “It takes very little, very little to simply brighten a life … love, bread, wine, and hot caldo verde in a bowl.”

The simple recipe is more like a blank canvas, to which you might add more meat, beans, or a different leafy green. In Portugal, a local cabbage called couve galega is typically used, but we’ve substituted easy-to-find kale.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb chorizo, linguica, or kielbasa, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 cups stock or water
• 1 lb kale or collard greens, stems removed and very thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 5-quart pot over medium-high heat. Cook sausage until browned and fat is rendered.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to rendered fat and cook onion and garlic until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add potatoes and stock or water to the pot, and simmer until potatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes. Mash some of the potatoes into the soup to thicken.
4. Add kale or collards and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in sausage and simmer until heated through.
6. Drizzle with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper.

Servings: 6

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