Good Food and Fado

Fado is a Portuguese musical style dating back to the early 19th Century in Lisbon. It is characterized by mournful melodies and lyrics usually about the sea, life of the poor, unrequited love, lost friendships, or misfortune. Originally, sailors sang Fado, but the style spread and evolved throughout Portugal and was well known by the early 20th Century. Fado was traditionally performed on street corners, bars, and brothels and was the music of the working class. Now it can be heard in a small bar or restaurant setting accompanied by one or two Portuguese guitars.

We were lucky enough to catch a group of people from our Hostel heading out to a local Fado bar the day we checked in. Having not been able to catch a performance in Lisbon or Coimbra, we tagged along. Maria of Oporto Poets Hostel, led the way. She took a group of us through the narrow, winding hill streets on foot and then by Trolley.

We arrived around 3:30, a little early, to get a good seat and order some drinks and food. We enjoyed a nice spread of fried Bacalhau (dried, salted cod), steamed mussels, and Tremoços (lupini beans). We shared a pitcher of a beer/7-UP/wine cocktail, then had the obligatory glass of Super Bock.

Around 4 o’clock, brave souls stood up one after another to sing for the crowd. Most of the singers we enjoyed were men, with the exception of the cook who came from the kitchen to sing a couple of tunes. This, along with Port tasting, was definitely the highlight of Portugal.  Port tasting is a little boring to watch, but we do have a short video of our Fado afternoon.