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Portugal Lifestyle and Culture

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Lifestyle and Culture in Portugal

With a history stretching back to prehistoric settlements and outdating some of the oldest European nations, Portugal is rich with culture, history and many interesting details that make them a unique society.

One commonly enjoyed cuisine of Portugal is a simple dish of colorful vegetables dipped in an airy batter and fried, it is known in Portuguese as ‘Peixinhos da Horta’ and shares a striking resemblance to the Japanese ‘Tempura’ because it is argued that the dish has Portuguese origin.

Other traditional Portuguese dishes include; Caldo Verde, Pastel de Nata, Balcahau com Natas, Bacalhau à Brás, Leitão, Tripas à Moda do Porto and lots more.

One very common dinner culture in Portugal is that in the place of starters or appetizers they have something called a ‘Couvert’ which is a basket of bread with olives, butter, cheese, cold meat, and sliced carrots.

Of notable mention is the fact that Portugal has birthed notable explorers in history that greatly contributed to the foundation of the ‘new world’ that exists today.

Portugal is also a liberal society with many social strides to their belts, they were the first country to abolish the beheading punishment in Europe and also the first country to abolish slavery way before the United Kingdom and subsequently the United States.

Sports in Portugal is a serious part of the culture, especially football. Football is taken quite seriously by the Portuguese. Introduced in the late 19th century it was not until 1934 that Portugal’s first premier league was established.

Since then, Football has become the country’s most popular sport earning an average of 2.5 million spectators every season.

This beautiful European nation is a natural wonder on its own, the country is a tourist haven and has even beat out France for the largest amount of tourists visiting in 2015.

Portugal is home to 14 UNESCO heritage sites such as the Convent of Christ located in Tomar, the Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém located in Lisbon, Sintra’s cultural landscape and the historic centers of Évora and Guimarães.

While some countries are lagging in diminishing fossil fuel use, Portugal is at the top of its game and has become a world leader in renewable energy.

For a period of four days in May 2016, every electrical source in the country was converted to solar, wind and hydrogen power, creating one hundred and seven hours of zero emissions. This achievement has birthed a long-term reality as over 95% of the country’s electricity is provided by renewable resources.

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