About the Alto Minho
The River Minho forms the border between northern Portugal and Galicia in Spain. It is a wonderful area full of beautiful scenery and along the Portuguese and Spanish sides of the river are many old fortified towns – a testament to the tumultus history of the area over the centuries. The Alto (“high”) Minho is the area around Covas and extends along the river (see the map).
Location of Alto Minho in Europe
The Alto Minho - Spain to the north and the rest of Portugal to the south
The whole region is steeped in history and religion and if you are prepared to read about it before you come – you will find a wealth of places to visit – but do not expect huge visitor centres and interpretative exhibitions – like most of the area it is unspoiled and you can look forward to visiting places that would be over-developed in many parts of Europe.
One of the two re-constructed roundhouses at the village
We recently went to visit the Citânia de Briteiros (City of the Britons) and were amazed by what we found – it is a real must see for anyone who is in the area and only about 45 minutes to the south of Covas.
Food and Drink in the area
Vinho verde
Our personal favourite
If you are like us, you never tasted vinho verde before visiting the Minho. When you do, you may find that like us, you discover something truly glorious – a light refreshing wine that is perfect for the local hot sunny days and goes beautifully with the local cuisine. It is cheap and something that everyone should at least try. We much prefer the white to the red vinho verde – and now they even have a rosé - but try for yourself and enjoy! Read on »
Aguardente and Bagaço
Aguardente is the name of the Portuguese grape brandy. It is distilled from the Vinho Verde grapes and aged in old Port wine casks giving the end product an interesting flavour and smoothness.
Lamprey
For anyone who enjoys a good dish of lamprey, this is the area to visit – in February, when many restuarants serve the local speciality.
Lamprey with rice
Check out the festival dates for Monção, where there is a Gastronomical Sunday (which also includes Saturday) and is held with about twenty restaurants serving the popular speciality at more accessible prices than usual.
The fish is fascinating – it looks like an eel with a strange head and like the eels, spawns in fresh water and the River Minho just north of Covas is a traditional fishery.
Bacalhau
Baclhau com natas
Everywhere you travel in the north of Portugal, you will find Bacalhau on the menu – and it is done in a variety of different regional ways. For anyone from Iceland, Norway or Canada – this is an interesting connection with Portugal – and the dish is well worth trying – available in all resturants in Covas!
Bolinho de bacalhau - a great snack with a glass of vinho verde
The Legend of the Rooster from Barcelos
One of the most famous figurines of Portuguese handicrafts is the well-known rooster (cock) of Barcelos, which has become a national tourism symbol for Portugal. The 14th century cross which forms part of the patrimony of the Archaeological Museum of the town of Barcelos is associated with the curious legend of the cock. According to this legend, the inhabitants were very perturbed by a crime of which it had not been possible to discover the author. Read on »
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Please note that the text for these pages is partly written by Hjordis Gudbjornsdottir and Robin Bovey, but also drawn from web resources – especially WikipediA. Many of the photographs are original, but there are also some taken from the web too.