Izgubljena palaca u Lisabonu i starinski dzem od grozdja sa orasima / Forgotten palace in Lisbon and old grape jam with walnuts

 

 

 

 

 

Zivim u Lisabonu 10 godina. I malo vise. No jos uvijek mi se desi da zastanem u cudu kada otkrijem blago koje mi se do sada skrivalo pod nosom.  U ulici Portas de Santo Antão, u samom turistickom centru grada nalazi se neugledna fasada, sa jos neuglednijim neonskim natpisom - Casa do Alentejo -.

 

 

I live in Lisbon for 10 years. And a little more. But still it happens that by miracle I discover the unknown  treasure that was standing in front of my nose all this years.  The street Portas de Santo Antao, in tourist center of the town, is hiding  - Casa do Alentejo-. This palace is hidden behind facade that says nothing and horrible neon placard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nakon sto odskrinete teska vrata i oci se priviknu na tamnu, teba se uspeti kamenim stepenicama. I tada ulazite u jedan drugi svijet. Svijet ispunjen arapskim motivima, prepun svijetla i vegetacije koja savrseno upotpunjuje dozivljaj

 

 

First you need to open heavy door  and let the eyes adjust to the dark, than climb the stone stairs. And then you enter to the another world. World that is fulfilled with arab motifs, full of light and vegetation that perfectly complements the experience.

 

 

 

 

 

Palaca je gradjena u 17. stoljecu i do danas je prezivjela nekoliko novih vlasnika. Osim prvotnih vlasnika obitelji Paes de Amaral, ovdje se tijekom povijesti nalazila skola, zatim jedan od prvih lisabonskih kazina "O Majestic Club" 1919.

The palace was built in the 17th century and has survived a few new owners. Original owner's were family Paes de Amaral, than school came, then one of the first Lisbon casino "O Majestic Club" in 1919.

 

 

U to vrijeme palaca je vecim dijelom preuredjena, te poprima danasnji izgled. 1932. useljavaju novi stanovnici - Udruga Alentejo - kojoj je svrha promocija i unapredjenje Alenteja kao regije, te njena industrijska i ekonomska ekspanzija.

At that time the palace was largely revamped, and assumed its present appearance. 1932. new resident came - Association of Alentejo - which had a purpose to promote Alentejo region and its industrial and economic expansion.

Danas ovdje mozete probati neke od poznatih jela tipicnih za Alentejo, kusati jaka, crna vina, te kupiti lokalne suvenire u manjem ducanu. Ili jednostavno prosetati palacom, procitati danasnje novine u citaonici, popiti kavu i rjesiti sudoku. Izgubiti se u vremenu i prostoru.

 

Here today you can try some of the famous dishes typical of the Alentejo, strong tastes, red wines, buy local souvenirs in a small shop. Or simply walk through the Palace, read today's newspapers in the reading room, drink coffee and solve sudoku. You can lose yourself in time and space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 U tijeku su restauracijski radovi na unutarnjoj fasadi. No sve je u tisini. Jedini zamor dolazi od grupe spanjolskih studenata koji u klaustru slusaju kratko predavanje vodica.

 

Restoration works on the inner facade are in progress. All in silence. The only fatigue comes from a group of Spanish students in the cloister.

 

 

Nakon sto obidjete donji dio i stepenicama se popnete na prvi kat, unutrasnjost postaje jos neobicnija. Arapske mozaike, palme i kolonijalni vrtni namjestaj, zamjenjuje barokna raskos i kristalni lusteri. Na gorenjem katu nalaze se 3 velike sale. Citaonica, Salon za predstave i Restoran sa kuhinjom. U salonu poznati poruglaski casopis snima editorijal za bozicno izdanje - malo provirih iako je bilo kao zabranjeno.

After seeing a downer part, I climb the stairs to the first floor. Here the interior becomes even more outlandish. Arab mosaics, palms and colonial garden furniture were replaced with Baroque luxury and crystal chandeliers. At the upper floor are 3 large rooms: reading room, lounge and restaurant with kitchen.
In the lounge, well known Portuguese magazine was shooting Christmas edition -  it was forbidden, but I peeked a little.

 

 

 

I onda - u tisini otvaram sljedeca vrata. Polumrak, i miris limuna. Ispred mene dvorana dostojna kraljevskih odaja.

 

And then - in silence I opened next door. The gloom and the smell of lemon. Hall in front of me worthy of royal chambers.

 

 

 

 

Istina, unutarnje stukature su vidjele i bolja vremena. No upravo to, upravo to nesavrsenstvo daje posaban sarm nekog davnog, izgubljenog vremena koje danas mozemo dozivjeti samo na filmu. Ovo je prostor toliko drugaciji od drugih. I da biste ovdje rucali il vecerali nije potrebno obuci svilene haljine i crni frak, mada protiv istih nemam nista protiv.

True, interior stucco had seen better days. But just that, just that imperfections give special charm of an ancient, lost time, that today we can experience only in movies. This space is so different from others. To have lunch here or dinner you don’t need silk dresses and black tuxedos, although I do not have anything against them.

 

 

Na meniju tipicna alentejanska hrana - to je jos jedan elemenat koji me ostavlja u cudu. Tipicna alentejanska hrana je tezacka, robusna, vrlo cesto spoj onoga sto se u tom trenu imalo u kuci. Bogata okusom, no cesto sirotinjska. Toliko daleko od bogatih stolova plemica i ustirkanih damastnih stoljnjaka. Nekako alentejansku hranu smjestavam u malene taverne i omanje restorane, nikako u grandiozne palace.

 

On the menu you can find typical food from Alentejo - this is another element that surprises me. Typical food from that area is simple, working class type of meals, very often a combination of what was at that moment in the house. Rich in flavor, but simple. So far away from wealthy and aristocratic tables with damask tablecloths. Somehow, I connect Alentejo food with homey tavern and small restaurants, definitely not with grand palace.

 

 

 

Provedoh u palaci citav sat. Slikajuci, i zaboravih pogledati na ulazu koje su cijene jela....Nisam ovdje rucala, jer sam imala dogovoreno na drugom mjesto. Pisuci ovaj post dadoh si truda i procitah komentare na nekoliko turistickih portala, te dok sama ne probam sto se nudi, preporucam slijedece:

 

I spend an hour walking around, taking pictures, sitting on the floor and in the end - forgot to look at the prices of food .... I didn’t had lunch here, because I had some other plans. While writing this story I made and effort and spent some time reading the comments on food and service by tourists who did eat.  The recommendation is following:

 

 

 

 

Udjite, obidjite, dozivite nesto sasvim drugo, popite kavu i rucajte negdje drugdje. Komentari bas i nisu na nivou. Pa zasto da vam dozivljaj okusa pokvari dozivljaj vida!

 

Come in, visit, experience something completely different, have a coffee and dine elsewhere. Comments are not exactly on the level. So why should you spoil your sight experience with bad taste experience!

 

 

 

U medjuvremenu dok cekate dolazak u Lisabon, pripravite jedan starinski alentejanski recept - bagulhada - dzem od grozdja, dunje i oraha. Apsolutno je fantastican!

 

In the meantime, while waiting arrival in Lisbon, prepare an old fashioned recipe from Alentejo - bagulhada - grape jam, quince and walnut. It is absolutely fantastic!

 

 

Potrebno je:

1 kg grozdja (bijelog il crnog il mjesano)

1 zrela dunja

500 g secera

kora od 1/2 narance

100 g oraha

Grozdje dobro oprati i izvaditi kostice Staviti da se kuha oko 1/2 sata. U medjuvremenu ocistiti dunju od kore i kore, te narezati na ploske. Kada grozdje omekani, dodati narezanu dunju, secer i koru narance. Ostaviti da se kuha. Nakon sat vremena izvaditi koru od narance i stapnim mikserom malo usitniti slatko. Dodati nasitno narezane orahe i staviti u sterilizirane staklenke.

You will need:

 

1 kg grapes
1 quince
500 g sugar

ripe of 1/2 orange
  100 g  walnuts

 

Wash grapes and remove the seeds. Put to cook for 30 min. Wash the quince, wipe the peel and seeds, and cut it into small cubes. Put quince, sugar and orange ripe together with grapes and cook for an hour. Stir well and bring to a simmer until the point of the road. Add finely chopped walnuts.

 

 

 

Ovo nije dzem za palacinke, vec kao i slatko od bundeve, odlicno pase iz neki jaki sir i krekere.

This is not jam for pancakes, but as pumpkin sweet, goes well with some strong cheese and crackers.