Above: Mesa de Lemos, Viseu, Portugal

Because central Portugal has maintained its traditional small-scale agriculture, the quality of its produce is superb. Succulent lamb and baby goat are used in chanfana, a hearty stew that is seasoned with paprika, garlic, bay leaves and piri-piri, doused with red wine and slow-cooked in clay pots. Lafões veal is raised in a lush valley intersected by the Vouga and Douro rivers and comes from local cattle derived from the Iberian Mirandesa and Arouquesa breeds.

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Above: Mesa de Lemos, Viseu, Portugal

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Visiting the Dão Valley Wine Estates Exploring the Serra da Estrela A Fresh Take on the Algarve Discovering Central Portugal