Porto: Stories from Portugal's Historic Bolhão Market - Hardcover

by Gabriella Opaz (Author), Sonia Andresson Nolasco (Author), José Avillez (Foreword by)

Discover the culinary heart of Northern Portugal through the stories, food, and history of Bolhão.

Bolhão Market's century-old walls are crumbling as its vendors and visitors wait for the restoration that will return it to its former glory. Though the deteriorating conditions have forced many vendors to leave, there are fishwives still singing their seductive pregão, bakers still hawking crusty broa baked in wood burning ovens, and butchers still offering up favos de mel for the city's signature tripe stew. Bolhão still pulses with knowledge earned over generations and the rich culinary heritage of the region.

This book is about those vendors who remain, and their stories are for those who want to know what to do, see, and eat when they visit the North. Porto, nestled between the sea and the esteemed Douro Valley, is the heart of one of Europe's premier--though often overlooked--food destinations. The people of Bolhão embody the spirit and tradition of this enchanting city. Your next culinary adventure starts here!

Author Biography

Gabriella Opaz is an award-winning speaker, writer, and consultant on storytelling and communication. Co-founder and co-owner of Catavino, which offers custom food, wine, and cultural tours of Portugal and Spain, she contributes to Wine & Spirits Magazine. Gabriella co-founded the Born Digital Wine Awards (BDWA), which celebrate responsible, diverse wine journalism around the globe, and was a TEDx Porto speaker in 2017. Born in Chicago, Gabriella now lives in Porto, Portugal.

Sonia Andresson Nolasco is a journalist, editor, and publicist who primarily works with food, wine, travel, and art organizations to promote Portugal. She resigned as a public relations director in Manhattan to join Catavino in Porto, immersing herself in Bolhão Market intermittently for two years to build the relationships that inspired the intimate portraits in the book. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, and raised in the Ironbound-Newark, a Portuguese enclave in New Jersey, Sonia now lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Ryan Opaz is a photographer and knight of the Port Wine Brotherhood who has worked as a chef, butcher, art teacher, public speaker, and wine writer. As CEO of Catavino, which he cofounded with his wife, Gabriella, he has spent the last 12 years guiding people throughout Portugal, kindling their love for a country and people he cherishes.