Stay, Stray, Play and Feast: September 2017

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Fabrica Das Enguias: Eels Beyond Portuguese Sardines (Lovely Lisbon Series 9)

Fabrica Das Enguias
Eels Beyond Portuguese Sardines

Lovely Lisbon Series 9

Portugal is known for fresh seafood, especially Sardines,

and we were happy to chance upon Fabrica Das Enguias,

…as we really wanted to try their famous

Pickled Canned Eel in Escabeche Sauce.

Fabrica Das Enguias is located a few steps away

from Rua Augusta, near the Praça do Comércio,

...housed in an ancient building,

…along the main road and a block away

from the iconic Tram 28 metro station.

The store sells nothing but their popular canned eel

that ame from the town Murtosa, hence the factory
name COMUR,or Fábrica de Conservas da Murtosa.

It has been producing this exotic delicacy since 1942,

based on traditional methods of olden days and the

secret recipe has been handed down for generations.

The store offers free tasting of bite sized white bread
topped with the canned eel and it tasted very good.

We bought several cans which came with a certificate

of authenticity and a Fabrica Das Enguias passport

souvenir for tourist and took them to our hotel room.

We have forgotten about the Canned Eel until we

arrived in Caceres, Spain about a week later,

…where we rented an apartment that had

an awesome kitchen and full dining area.

I decided to serve the Canned Eel for dinner and got the
shock of my life to see the whole eel all coiled up inside.

I totally did not expect to see a frightening snake- like
creature inside a can. It looked fresh and alive as it shimmers
and appears to slither while bathing in aromatic oil.

Luckily, the everyone was inside the room,

and I cut off the eel to small bite size pieces

before they could see our frightening dinner.

The Pickled Canned Eel in Escabeche Sauce

was very delicious and it went well with rice.

My family enjoyed the otherwise creepy dinner,

but no one would have touched it had they seen

the canned slimy serpentine eel fresh off the can.

Read my other blogs on

Lovely Lisbon Series

Radisson Blu Lisbon

Beautiful, Affordable Home in Lisbon

Lovely Lisbon Series 1

Hao Hua

Delicious Authentic Chinese Cuisine

Lovely Lisbon Series 2

A Padaria Potugueza

Breakfast Heavyweight

Lovely Lisbon Series 3

Historic Belem District

Lisbon’s Living Museum

Lovely Lisbon Series 4

Queijadas de Belem Restaurant
Tasting Lisbon’s Classic Cuisine

LovelyLisbon Series 5

Padrão dos Descobrimentos and Torre de Belém

Golden Age of Disovery Monuments

Lovely LisbonSeries 6

Antiga Confeitaria de Belém
Glorious Iconic at Pasteis de Belém

Lovely Lisbon Series 7

Praca Du Commercio

Expansive Riverside Historic Town Plaza

Lovely Lisbon Series 8

Fabrica Das Enguias

Eels Beyond Portugeuse Sardines

LovelyLisbon Series 9

Igreja da Magdalena

Unplanned Amazing Find

Lovely Lisbon Series 10

Alfama’s Elevador de Sta Luzia

Scenic Route to the Castelo

Lovely LisbonSeries 11

Castelo de Sao Jorge

Fortress of Lisbon’s Historic Past

Lovely LisbonSeries 12

Comidas de Santiago
Rustic Roadside Restaurant

Lovely Lisbon Series 13

Miraduro das Portas do Sol

Viewdeck to History

Lovely Lisbon Series 14

Se de Lisboa

Lisbon’s Center of Faith

Lovely LisbonSeries 15

Tram 28

Riding Lisbon’s History

Lovely Lisbon Series 16

Old Town Lisbon

Heart and Soul of Lisbon

Lovely Lisbon Series 17

A Day in Fatima

Lisbon’s Pilgrim City

Lovely Lisbon Series 18

Jardim Zoologico de Lisboa
An Awesome Day in Lisbon Zoo

Lovely Lisbon Series 19

Lisbon Eats
Eating on a Budget in Lisbon

Lovely LisbonSeries 20

Lovely Lisbon

A Living and Breathing City Museum

Lovely LisbonSeries 21

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Praca Du Commercio: Expansive Riverside Historic Town Plaza (Lovely Lisbon Series 8)

Praca Du Commercio
Expansive Riverside Historic Town Plaza
(Lovely Lisbon Series 8)

It was the first day of the European Congress of Endocriloy
and I attended the medical convention the whole morning,

…and later joined my family by noontime

at the Praça do Comércio where we would

commence our visit the Lisbon’s old town.

The Praça do Comércio is the largest of Lisbon’s

grand plazas located at the edge of the Tagus estuary.

This was center of commerce in the past and where traders would sell
their imported goods, and where the most of Portugal’s major business
establishments are located. Portugal's wealthis channeled through the
Praça de Comercio, which means Commercial Square in English.

A set of marble stairs called the Cais das Colunas,

is found at the southern side of Praça de Comercio

which lead down the beach and on to the water edge.

The Praça do Comércio is the grandest of Lisbon’s squares,
surrounded with classic symmetrical buildings that houses shops
and restaurants, and where some government offices like tourism
department and the customs that regulate port activities are located.

The equestrian statue of King José I

serves as a magnificent centerepice.

The ornate Arco da Rua Augusta,

...that serves as a decorative entrance to Rua Augusta

is located at the northern edge of the Praça do Comércio.

The three statues at the top of the arc created by French
sculptor Calmels symbolizes Glory, Ingenuity and Valor ,

while the two seated figures at the arc's lower ledge
represent the two Portugal rivers, the Tejo and Douro.

Aside from being a major tourist attraction the plaza

is also an important transport hub where trams that

head west to the Belem district and at the southern

side is a ferry terminal that cross the River Tagus.

The Praça do Comércio is also an awesome starting point for

tourists wanting to explore the historic ancient city of Lisbon.