Soon after I spoke at the California Dietetic Association meeting, I embarked on a food and wine tour of Portugal and Spain. Join me along my route and share my gustatory adventures! Day One: Lisbon Get ready for couverts, little appetizers that accompany wine or beer—most often olives from trees like this one pictured that infuse both city and countryside. Couverts may be followed by an array of tapas such as Boquerones (typically anchovies); freshly made soups, such as Caldo Verde (green broth); main dishes that focus on pork or seafood such as Bacalhau (salted cod fish) and Caldeirada (Portuguese bouillabaisse); sheep and goat’s milk cheeses; lots of egg-based desserts or my favorite, Arroz Doce (cinnamon-flavored rice pudding). A Portuguese meal would be incomplete without wine, including its famous Port, Vinhos Verdes (green wine), Dão and Colares (notably reds) and Madeira. My visit to Lisbon proper concluded at the Museu do Azulejo (the National Tile Museum) with its extensive portrayal of Portuguese history represented in five centuries of decorative ceramic tiles or azulejos such as this one that celebrates the vine! Check back tomorrow as I begin my Portuguese wine tour!