Anthea Gerrie Samples An Intoxicating Blend Of Great Meat And Cool Music at Portugal’s Enchanting Miranda Do Douro MEATING Festival.
Tempting visitors with succulent cuts of meat in an increasingly plant-based world is an optimistic venture, especially since the reason visitors need tempting to the destination is that it is incredibly far-flung. But the great and good of Miranda do Douro managed to successfully promote their regional rare breeds – those in the know will drive hundreds of miles for a “posto”, the local veal steak seen on every menu – with the help of Portugal’s finest chefs and a clutch of innovative musicians at the first annual Miranda Do Douro MEATING Festival.
It was an attempt to show that the town of Miranda and surrounding region is about more than the Douro , the river separating Portugal from Spain – a hot tourism area these days for wine aficionados keen on visiting the country’s most notable estates. Much of this long and winding riverscape has become congested with tourist boats and their thirsty cargo, but the wine-lovers tend not to make it this far north. Miranda do Douro has secluded beauty on its side precisely because it’s a slog to reach, nearly three hours east of Porto, the country’s nearest international airport.
I made the journey as a lover of both good meat and good music, nursing fond memories of a previous stay on the Douro at one of the country’s leading port estates. And in Miranda the river was thrillingly visible from every room balcony at the Hotel Parador Santa Catarina. The building was a treat in its own right – a fine example of Modernist architecture awash in golden wood on the room floors, with an excellent dining room, an indoor-outdoor bar also overlooking the river and lawn terrace with ornamental pool.
The jewel in the crown in this rural area also known for its fine cutlery and pen-knives is the handsome old town a seven-minute stroll from the Santa Catarina, making up in historic buildings for what it lacks in river views. It was here, in the shadow of the cathedral, that MEATING took place, a very civilised festival set-up with tables, chairs and canopies to enable feasting in comfort from four kitchens where a range of chefs from the Michelin-starred to local rising stars produced their individual homage to local breeds over two days.
Oscar Geadas, whose G Pousada in Braganca is the region’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, chose tasty bisara pork for his dish, while Diogo Rocha, who helms the only Michelin-starred chef in the centre of Portugal, worked his magic on Mirandese veal, usually served as flash-grilled prime cuts but here cooked down to a stew soft enough to eat with a spoon. I was drawn first to the kitchen dispensing cabrito, the delicious young goat celebrated in Mexico and Miranda alike, loving the fresh take on kid, presented as a salad-topped open sandwich, from Brazilian chef Michele Marques, the only woman among the featured cooks.
My favourite meat dish was the taco stuffed with churro galena mirandesa rare breed lamb from local hero Marcelo Dias, who sadly confessed he could not make his tacos standard fare at O Mirandes, where he normally mans the stoves, as the regular clientele was too conservative to consider anything so exotic. Regional pastry chef Eurico Casto provided the chestnut parfait dessert which was a sticky reminder that the Portuguese love nothing as much as sugar – unless they happen to be cooking meat.
As for the music, it was pretty loud and pretty late, and most interesting for the collaboration between emerging bands from the city and local musicians, together creating a take on their traditional sounds for 21st century ears. Even better than the band acts were the local ensembles who serenaded the tables, including an excellent traditional jazz quartet. And you can’t go anywhere in Miranda without encountering the Pauliteiros, local teens dressed not unlike Morris dancers who parade through the town ever-ready to greet visitors with one of their stick-crossing dances and an occasional display of pyramid-style acrobatics.
Until the next MEATING, visitors will trickle through for a cruise on the Douro; ours was run by an ecological body which shared fascinating information about the plethora of local fauna. Many will venture inland to pet the beasts at the Miranda Donkey Recovery Center where the local rare breed, originally crossed with horses to promote greater size and strength, is studied and protected while they live in peace. Also of tourist interest is Picote , offering a breathtaking viewpoint to take in the river bend, and site of vineyards producing delicious local wine, also made at nearby Tras-Os- Montes.
It’s no surprise that the wine is created to complement the local meat, but even in a place so committed to carnivores things are slowly changing – every chef at Meating was prevailed upon to also produce a vegetarian plate. Keep it inclusive and even the vegans will venture to the land of rare breeds, especially at festival time.
