blog

25 April - Feast Day of Saint Mark

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:32:18 +0100

Saint Mark, also known as John Mark, is not only the patron Saint of São Marcos da Serra, but also of the town of Venice in Italy. Also he is the patron of notaries, writers, secretaries and glaziers. Christians call upon him for good weather and a good harvest. Also he helps against lightning and hail and with sudden death.

He was one of the 4 evangelists and wrote the oldest gospel of the bible. He was one of the 70 disciples and later founded the church in Alexandria, which today is claimed by the Coptic Orthodox Church. Also he is honored as founder of Christianity in Africa. He died in the year 68 in Alexandria. His body was later taken to Venice by Venetian merchants.

Saint Mark is often represented with a lion lying at his feet, because the lion, one of the 4 symbolical animals, makes the desert re-echo with its roaring. Also the lion is in the weapon of arms of Venice.

On the 25th of April the parish of São Marcos has its yearly festivities to honor the patron saint of the village. The whole population is invited to participate. Location: the church square.

At 9.00 h the day starts with a walk
10.30 h there is a mountainbike race organised by the Serrano Futebol Clube
15.30 h mass and subsequent procession through the streets of the village
17.00 h various games and entertainment for the children
18.00 h lunch gathering at the church square
19.00 h music and dance with accordionist Nuno Duarte

The Nêspereira or Loquat Tree

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:59:14 +0100

In São Marcos da Serra people just love their Nêspereira (loquat tree). This evergreen, easy to grow, tree (Eriobotrya japonica) originates from China and Japan and is not only ornamental, but it also has wonderful tasty fruit. You can find these trees in every garden, no matter how small.

The fruit of this tree is called the loquat (nespera in Portuguese) and is related to the apple and the pear. It is the first fruit to ripen in the springtime. It is rich in beta-caroteen, fibres, kalium, vitamin A, pectine and has only 45 calories per 100 gram. It is supposed to detoxify the intestines and lower bad cholesterol levels. The loquat bruses easily and should be handled very carefully. It tastes a lot better than it looks. The taste reminds me of a crossing of apricot and apple.

It is eaten as a fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fresh fruit salads or fruit cups. Firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts. The fruits are also commonly used to make jam, jelly, and chutney, and are delicious poached in light syrup.

The seeds of loquat fruit contain many toxic alkaloids like cyanogenic glycosides which when consumed can cause serious life threatening symptoms like vomiting, breathlessness, and death. Therefore, especially children are advised to avoid chewing seeds and should be supervised by adults while eating loquat fruits.

Recipe for a loquat cake - bolo de nesperas

500 gr deseeded nesperas in halves

4 large eggs

200 gr sugar

200 gr flour

1 bsp baking powder

2 tbsp milk

5 tbsp olive oil (extra virgem)

beat the eggs and the sugar

add flour, baking powder, milk and oil and mix well

fold in the fruit

bake at 180 degrees C for 40 to 45 minutes

check with skewer for doneness

For more interesting facts on this special fruit and its health benefits have a look here: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/loquat-fruit.html

Feira do Folar 2012

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:31:34 +0100

The 14th edition of the traditional Easter Fair of São Marcos da Serra will be held again during the Easter weekend, 6, 7 and 8 April 2012.

The church square and the surrounding area will be the setting for this yearly event. Lots of traditional products and handicraft can be bought here and there will be live entertainment with music and folklore dance. Come and taste, smell, watch and listen to everything that will be going on in this lovely village of the serra. The fair opens at 11.00 and closes at 22.00 hours. Music and dance starts at 16.30 on Friday and at 15.00 on Saturday and Sunday.

If you want to try to make an Easter bread yourself, you can find the recipe here.

Reopening Os Duartes

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:00:36 +0100

This week Restaurant Os Duartes reopened its doors after a great painting job and closing the roof terrace, making the restaurant larger and to be used in all kinds of weather.

You can have a dish of the day for the nice price of €4. The restaurant is at the first floor, the café on the ground floor.

You can find Os Duartes next to the church in the center of the village of São Marcos da Serra. We wish the new staff good luck !

Protest or Carnival?

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:53:05 +0100

Is it a celebration of Carnival or is it a protest against the governments austerity measures? Probably a bit of both. Not only in Lissabon, but even in the sleepy village of São Marcos da Serra, people are getting fed up and angry with the government´s measures to master the crisis. Today, there were demonstrations of protest near the Football Club, at the church and next to the village donkey. Here the pictures that speak for themselves.

Carnival in São Marcos da Serra

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:27:54 +0100

The children of the village celebrate Carnival 2012.

Those Were The Days.....

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:06:56 +0100

When you ask one of the older inhabitants that has lived in São Marcos da Serra his/her entire life, to tell you about the past, you will probably hear a deep sigh first. "Aaahhhh, when I was young, things were very diffent here...." The village was prosperous, the hills were clean from weeds, there were no ruins and the montes (houses) were full of life and people.

In the fifties of the last century São Marcos da Serra was indeed a busy place. There were around 4179 inhabitants that lived in the village and in the surrounding hills. Agriculture was predominant. In the very small, but fertile valley´s people planted corn, beans, potatoes, grain and fruit. On the slopes of the hills they planted rye and oats. São Marcos da Serra was famous for its delicious peaches, its excellent olive oil, wonderful honey and high quality medronho and cork.

There were 3 olive oil presses in the village, 2 windmills and a watermill, small factory´s for charcoal, several bakery´s, a factory for mendronho and the monthly fairs were large and busy.

There was a lot of trafic at the train station, because the railroad was the only way to transport goods in and out of São Marcos da Serra. Grain, charcoal and cork were shipped out and manure and stones for the roads were shipped in. In those days there were no limits for hunting, so a lot of partridge was sent by train to the capital of the country, Lissabon.

The roads at that time were only dirt roads, dusty in the summer and soaking wet in the winter. People could only transport goods with the help of oxes or donkeys. The river of São Marcos da Serra, the Odelouca, was important for the inhabitants as a water supply and for fishing, but during heavy rains it was possible that the village could not be reached for several days.

It was a time of hard work and simple life and some people wanted something more. Many people (mostly men) left the serra to seek a better life abroad or to generate extra income to ease the financial troubles of the family back home. The spread all over the globe, but most of them left for France and Germany where the economy was booming at that time.

Where are the days when the village was prosporous and full of life? Today (2012) there are only some 1345 inhabitants left and a lot of things have changed. Many houses are slowly falling into ruins, young people are leaving because there are no jobs and no affordable housing. The countryside is being abandoned by the Portuguese.

Maybe in this time of economic crisis, people will once more understand the real value of living in the countryside. I hope this will be a chance for the younger generations to pick up and honour the old traditions and way of life, so they won´t get lost for ever.

Mushrooms and Funerals in São Marcos da Serra

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:38:37 +0100

Since 22 years Hortense Dias is the proud owner of Agencia Funeraria Pimentel Dias. Not only is this the funeral agency of the village of São Marcos da Serra, but Hortense Dias is also the local expert on mushrooms that grow in the serra. Local people pick the wild mushrooms in the surrounding hills and take them to Hortense.

Here you can buy the fresh, wild mushrooms, but most of the harvest is exported to Spain and is sold to Germany, Switserland, Italy and the United Kingdom. Several varieties of mushrooms are available, such as the delicious cantarelle.

The company can be found at the Largo da Velha 1, tel.: 282361007 or 932216066

New Year Celebration in São Marcos da Serra

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:58:08 +0100

Come and join the New Year´s celebration 2011-2012 in the Serrano Futebol Clube in São Marcos da Serra.

On December 31 there will be live music and dance as of 21.30 hours with Caria Santos and Yone Santiago. There will be caldo verde soup, shrimps, suckling pig, snacks and deserts available.

Sign up at the Serrano Futebol Clube in the village!

Wintertime - Time for Tea

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:40:24 +0100

While the winter months arrive, many people love to drink a nice hot cup of tea to warm up. The people in the area of São

Marcos da Serra love their teas. And they don´t only taste good, but they are also great for your health. Here are 2 of their favorite ones:

Chá Bela Luisa or Lúcia Lima (Aloysia triphylla)

This plant is native in South America and. The leaves of this plant are used (preferably fresh from the garden) to brew a lovely calming tea. The Portuguese love it for its lemon smell and use it to season sweet dishes, fruit salads, jams, oils and vinegar. But most of the times they just brew a fresh tea from it. Chá Bela Luisa (lemon verbena in English) calmes the nerves, relieves digestive track spasms and reduces fevers. Also it is a mosquito repellent.

Chá de principe (cymbopogon citratus)

In English it is knows as lemon grass. This plant is native to India and tropical Asia. It is widely used as a herb in Asian cuisine and is loved for its subtle citrus flavor. It can be dried and powdered, but fresh from the garden it is best. It is used in soups, curries, with fish and meat dishes. Here in the area, people love to brew a refreshing tea from its leaves. Erva principe has anti-fungal and anti-septic properties and is said to reduce fever, ease stomach cramps, flatulence and colic. It relaxes and purifies. Also it is an excellent insect repellent. Mosquitoes do not like the smell.