Quarteira will be celebrating its historic link to the sea with another ‘Semana do Polvo’, or Octopus Week.
Taking place from September 7 to 16, the event will see 31 restaurants in Quarteira and Vilamoura presenting their own special dish using octopus as a main ingredient.
Octopus cooked inside a ‘cataplana’ (a traditional clam-shaped pot) and classic recipes such as ‘arroz de polvo’ (octopus rice) and ‘polvo à lagareiro’ (lagareiro-style octopus) are just a few of the dishes that can be enjoyed.
There will also be a competition offering €150 in prize money for the best octopus recipe, as well as several ‘showcooking’ events.
An exhibition of artworks by children from the ‘Akredita em Ti’ association will also be displayed at Vilamoura marina during the event, while a seminar to discuss the fishing sector and research projects that are underway will take place on September 14 at the Centro Autárquico de Quarteira.
The event is held every year to promote gastronomic tourism and bolster the local economy using the octopus, which is described as an “emblematic symbol of the parish which has always been linked to the sea and octopus fishing”.
Participating restaurants are Sol e Mar, Água Salgada, A Cabana, Alphonso’s Restaurante, Cá da Terra, Dallas, Fernando’s Highway, Frutos do Mar, La Cabane, Luna Rossa, O Marcoense, Miróbriga, Don Alfonso, O Búzio, Taberna O Gaveto and Ostra D’Ouro.
The list also includes Pic Nic, Rosa Branca, Street Kitchen, Taberna do Peixe, Thai Marina, Uniko, Sandomania, Tasca do António, Snack Bar Bambi, Thai, Social, Marés, Thaibeach, Monteiro’s and Rare.
Visit www.aeqv.pt for more information.
Photo: Polvo à lagareiro
