wocomoCOOK's video: Alentejo - Delicacies from the land of the cork oak forests What s cookin

During the harvest time of the cork, the whole family works together. Typical Portuguese dishes are served: bread soup based on fresh herbs, ham and migas from the black pig feed by acorns of the cork oaks and tasty desserts as the almond cake Toucinho do Céu and the sweet egg dish Sericaia - that's Alentejo, that's Portugal! What's cookin' is about traditional culinary recipes from different European regions. Enjoy all the episodes here: https://goo.gl/1SsfUQ Subscribe to wocomoCOOK: https://goo.gl/9c1suR Follow wocomo on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wocomo/ In the Portuguese region Alentejo in the south of Lisbon there are centurie-old cork oak forests, the so-called Montados. They are protected and one tree may only be harvested every nine years. The Alentejo cork is used to make wine corks as well as furniture and clothing. Guida Silva owns cork oak forest since seven generations. Every year between May and August they harvest the valuable natural cork. The harvest is precision work, experienced workers carefully peel the cork bark from the tree trunk. The cork oak is the only tree on earth that is not damaged by peeling. During the harvest months Guida's brother Pedro is responsible for the physical well-being of the whole family. He lives from pig breeding. He was never interested in working in the cork forests. His passion is cooking. His wife Paula and daughter Joana help him to prepare the traditional dishes like the bread soup Açorda à Alentejana, which is prepared with wild herbs from the cork oak forests. At the end of the harvest week, Pedro serves a special delicacy, Migas à Alentejana. This dish is based on the juicy meat of the region's black pigs. The Alentejo pigs feed on the oily acorns of the cork oaks. That is why their meat has a unique taste. Pedro is preparing Toucinho do Céu, a juicy almond cake with icing sugar, and Sericaia, a sweet egg dish with cinnamon, served as dessert. The honey from forest bees from the cork oak forest tastes particularly good with it.