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UMAMI & GARUM LISBON FOOD TOUR

WHEN A CHEF AND A SCIENTIST COME TOGETHER

Quick Details

  • Duration: 3 Hours
  • Ages: All Ages
  • Small group: 3 people min 10 people max
  • Language: English, Portuguese, French, Spanish and Japanese
  • We are: LGBTQ2S+ friendly
  • Meeting Point: Museu do Fado (Alfama)
  • Info: A unique experience of this kind in Portugal!
  • 14 tastings Food & 2 Drinks
  • 5-course Menu
  • Alfama & Baixa districts
  • Local Guide/Host
Adults Ages 13+
€110
Baby 0-2 years old
Free

There are three places in the world where these products are created with similar quality and umami taste. One of them is Lisbon. Do not miss this opportunity!

This Lisbon Food Tour will guide you through the world of umami taste (savory deliciousness) & techniques of fish conservation used by the Phoenicians in Lisbon, developed in Portuguese food traditions & perfected by a Portuguese Chef.

group people around a table doing cheersBased on unprecedented Portuguese research, we are now able to taste these artisanal products in balanced and local fish Portuguese dishes and Portuguese cuisine.

Get ready to discover & taste muxama, garum, tuna pastrami, Atlantic wreckfish bottarga, tuna chorizo (analogous to blood pork sausage), swordfish belly bacon, smoked octopus, cuttlefish roe, and others. All from sustainable fishing on the Portuguese coastline and Portuguese Islands. All examples of umami foods, which basically will bring you the essence of deliciousness to your palate.

Through a combination of 14 different delicious tastings, a 5-course menu & a slow food experience, we travel centuries & cultures, learning about preserving techniques, immersed in stories about people, salt, sun, & sea, while being amazed by the fifth taste of umami, present in these unique & exclusive sea flavors!

For this walking food tour in Lisbon, after we meet in Alfama district, closer to the river, we visit one of the oldest stores where Romans produced Garum – a roman fish sauce with a unique flavor, equated to a golden essence. A perfect introduction to what follows.

Just a few minutes away, after crossing the old city wall, we will find our gastronomic stop where a unique & exclusive tasting itinerary starts. Food and culture, past and present became intertwined.

This gastronomic stop combines a restaurant, a shop (garum  fish sauce is for sale here!), but also a sort of laboratory where food preserving methods are explored, like nowhere else in Portugal.

Beyond imagination!

We will take you on a fish (r)evolution journey!

 

a plate of food on a table
a half eaten banana on a plate
a plate of food on a table
a person sitting at a table with a plate of food
a sandwich sitting on top of snow covered ground
a glass of orange juice
a bowl of food on a plate
a piece of cake covered in snow
a group of people drinking wine at a restaurant
chef showing processed fish he prepared
a chef preparing a table
a group of people sitting at a table eating food

MEETING POINT

We will meet in a square, named Largo do Chafariz de Dentro, right in front of Museu do Fado, in Alfama.

If you are arriving by public transport, take the METRO to Santa Apolónia station and then walk for approximately 5-7 minutes.

If you wish to explore the area of Alfama before it’s a good plan. You will be close to the Pantheon Church and to one of the most emblematic sightseeings in Lisbon: Miradouro de Santa Luzia on top of Alfama hill.

My advice is to start from the top hill and then, gently came down, through the narrow and labyrinthic streets of Alfama to finally meet us at the level of the river, in front Museu do Fado.

FAQ

For more frequently asked questions about weather, alcohol, and dietary restrictions, please visit our FAQ page here.

MORE THAN 3000 FIVE STARS REVIEWS

In November 2021, Smithsonian Magazine published an article titled, "Culinary Detectives Try to Recover the Formula for a Deliciously Fishy Roman Condiment." The article follows scientists deciphering a recipe for garum from the charred paste of fish bones recovered from Pompeii (using a gas chromatograph and a scanning electron microscope, no less). Well, it turns out the Roman Empire's largest production facility for garum was in Lusitania (now Portugal). In 2021, a Lisbon chef and restauranteur partnered with archeologists and fermented garum on the site of Tróia’s ruins (near Lisbon) for the first time in 1600 years. If you've read this far, you're probably the perfect candidate for this experience. Host Sílvia partnered with these very restaurant guys to create the tastings for her Umami & Garum Lisbon Food Tour. You'll visit their restaurant and consume off-menu dishes that showcase both cured fish and the pungent sauce. It's a curated experience with an expert and personable guide. Be sure to drink plenty of water—and enjoy!

– — Jill, from Berkeley, California

“This is a “can’t miss” unique experience for foodies/gourmands in Lisbon. This is not one of the typical traveling feast - style walking food tours that checks the boxes of all the classic petiscos. I have nothing against those, but this is a delicious deep dive into the history and flavors of cured and fermented fish in Portugal. This is a curated experience from an expert guide that you won’t find in a book or otherwise stumble upon - well worth the tour!”.

– — Peter, from Berkeley

“Even better than I expected. Silvia was super personable and knowledgeable. Without her guidance, had I seen any of the items. All the dishes are exclusively cooked for us, integrating fish artisanal products and sauces. If it wasn't for this experience, I would not have known what they were and missed out on some truly amazing and unique food. I learned so much in such a short amount of time. I will definitely grab another tour next time I am in Lisboa.”

– — Emma, Colorado, USA

“Great introduction to umami flavors of preserved seafood. The food was unique, varied and delicious, and Silvia was an excellent host. Good value for money. Highly recommended."

– — Sarah, San Francisco

“This was a unique and very original experience that gave me a whole new insight into Portuguese food & culture. Silvia was an exceptionally warm and knowledgeable guide who made me and the group feel immediately at ease and like we've known each other for years. She shared so many interesting stories and inside information about the history of Portuguese food, umami and Lisbon that I felt like a true expert after our tour. And to top everything off the food was amazing and served in a fun and distinctive environment. I highly recommend this food tour for all foodies who want to get the most out of their visit to Lisbon! Its a complete gastronomical delight!”

– — Jullian, from Hawaii

"Um food tour que vale cada garfada! A Sílvia é uma grande anfitriã e uma verdadeira foodie, com um conhecimento profundo dos vários temas. Os diferentes pratos que experimentamos tinham sabores únicos que nunca tinha experimentado. É sem dúvida uma experiência única, a não perder."

– — Dário, from Évora

"Silvia is a very nice and good-humored woman who has a wide knowledge that she likes to share. It is a unique special culinary experience in which you get to know new tastes. Highly recommended!"

– — Jennifer, from San Francisco
Hidden treasure - Umami & Garum!

"It was a totally new experience for me. I decided to do this tour solo, thinking that I know most of the city by now, and what was my surprise - I didn't expect to discover such an interesting and incredible story behind the walls of an old Lisbon that Silvia told us. I am a big fan of fish and sushi, so it was a real pleasure to learn about the production of umami and garum and to taste it afterwards. The feast of several dishes, each paired with an exquisite wine, was really something to remember. Afterwards, we were able to learn some interesting facts about all kinds of fish and their specialties, as well as enjoy some good conversation with other travelers. The tour itself wasn't tiring, so we didn't have to run anywhere, just walk moderately. I highly recommend this tour as it is unique and one of a kind, you definitely won't see anything similar in Lisbon and who knows if even in Europe! :)"

– Maria, from Fátima.
A delicious and one-of-a-kind experience

My friend and I were looking for a food tour in Lisbon and this one caught our eye because we hadn't seen anything like it before. It is different from standard multiple-stop tours in that you are seated in one restaurant having multiple courses after a short walk around town that offers some historical background. All of the food was delicious and beautifully presented (it looked like art) and learning about the history of garum in Portugal was so interesting. "You do not have to be a fish lover; I think one of the things that the tour tries to illustrate is how many ways fish can be prepared and preserved and how it can take on different flavors. There were multiple varieties of fish I had never tried before. You DO need to appreciate umami flavors, but hopefully that would be obvious from the name of the tour. Afterwards, Silvia sent us an email packed with recommendations for other places to eat and things to do. I tried two of the restaurants she suggested and they were wonderful. Thank you - I will be back for more the next time I'm in Portugal!"

– Jennifer, from USA
Fabulous tour - add some spice to your life!

"Amazing trip with the knowledgeable hostess of Oh my Cod (my 3 rd trip). I have gone in the 17 tastings tour which is exceptional and thought it was time to try the Umami tour. It was an exceptional evening. Don’t be scare off by the thought of fish and fish oil. The food was outstanding and you won’t be able to try the dishes anywhere else. As with their other tours, the Umami tour seamlessly blends history, eating and drinking - so that the tour is so much more than just food. Take a chance! You’ll love it!"

– Leyla, from Australia
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