PACK 3 Flavors - Ribeira do Porto - Gift from the Douro Valley

Traditional Flavors on the Table: Portuguese Inspirations for Using Each Flavor

Rooted in the traditional gastronomy of the Douro Valley, each flavor in this PACK can be explored through a variety of recipes that honor Portugal’s culinary heritage. The versatility of the Negrinha do Douro Olive Paste, the refinement of the Pumpkin and Orange Jam with Port Wine, and the intensity of the Dark Chocolate Spread with Blueberry and Port Wine make this gift a complete tasting experience—whether in rustic appetizers, homemade desserts, or as a finishing touch in a signature dish with Portuguese soul.

Negrinha do Douro Olive Paste

• Portuguese tapenade with cornbread: A rustic take on the Mediterranean tapenade, served with toasted cornbread. Bold, salty, and slightly fruity flavor.
• Octopus salad with Negrinha olives: A classic sea-and-land combination from northern Portugal, with firm octopus and fresh parsley.
• Game meat pies with olive topping: Enhances the rich flavors of meats like wild boar and venison with a flavorful olive finish.
• Mushroom bruschetta with olive paste: Rustic bread with sautéed mushrooms and olive paste. A deeply savory, earthy starter.
• Scrambled eggs with olive paste and cilantro: A fusion of simplicity and intensity, perfect for a Portuguese-style brunch.

Pumpkin and Orange Jam with Rosemary and Eucalyptus Honey, Cinnamon, and Port Wine

• Ricotta tart with pumpkin jam: A creamy dessert from northern Portugal, with a sweet-tart flavor contrast.
• Sponge cake with warm pumpkin jam: A reinvented classic, where the jam seeps into the fluffy sponge cake.
• French toast stuffed with pumpkin jam: A Christmas specialty with warm spices and comforting textures.
• Goat cheese puff pastries with pumpkin jam: Delicate and crispy bites, perfect for traditional dinner starters.
• Cinnamon pancakes with pumpkin jam: A special breakfast layered with fruit and spice flavors.

São Tomé Dark Chocolate Spread with Blueberry and Port Wine

• Chocolate truffles with Port Wine: Intense bite-sized delights, ideal as a gift or elegant dessert.
• Chocolate tart with blueberry: Rich, fruity, and visually striking, with a smooth wine-infused finish.
• Chocolate and blueberry “queijadas”: A modern twist on the traditional Portuguese cheese pastry.
• Crepes filled with chocolate and Port Wine: Thin pancakes filled with warm chocolate cream, dusted with sugar.
• Moist chocolate cake with blueberry: Dense and rich cake where the spread serves as both filling and topping—intense and enveloping.

This PACK is more than just a selection of flavors—it’s an invitation to explore traditional Portuguese cuisine, reimagined with creativity and authenticity. Ideal for those who value soulful regional products that tell stories at the table and turn every meal into a moment flavored with Portugal.

Origins of the Flavors: The Douro Valley and Other Historic Regions

The PACK 3 Artisanal Flavors – Ribeira Houses of Porto is more than a tasting experience—it's a celebration of the origins behind traditional Portuguese flavors, with a special focus on the Douro Valley, one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Known for its agricultural richness, scenic beauty, and centuries-old traditions, each ingredient in this PACK carries a story, a place, and a unique identity.

Negrinha do Douro PDO Olives: Authentic Flavor from the Slopes of the Douro

The Negrinha do Douro olive, certified with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), is one of the Douro Valley’s most distinctive agricultural treasures. Grown in century-old olive groves clinging to steep schist slopes, this variety is known for its rustic character, resilience to the region’s hot, dry climate, and hand-harvesting process—a tradition passed down through generations. These groves span the upper and lower Douro, forming part of a dramatic and authentic landscape recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With a medium size (3 to 5 grams), the Negrinha olive offers a firm yet tender texture. Harvested at various stages of ripeness—from yellowish-green to deep violet-black—it yields a range of flavor profiles from herbal and green to ripe and buttery. Its taste is delicately fruity, slightly bitter, and finishes with a subtle peppery note that evokes the terroir of the Douro: sun, schist, and altitude.

In the olive paste included in this PACK, the Negrinha do Douro is processed by hand to preserve its original flavor identity. Without artificial enhancers, its natural complexity shines through, making it one of the most authentic and representative elements in the PACK—an ideal introduction to the true flavors of the Douro wine region.

Port Wine: The Aged Soul of the Douro

Port Wine is more than just a drink—it's the ultimate expression of the Douro Valley’s wine heritage and one of Portugal’s most iconic symbols. Produced exclusively in the Douro’s demarcated region (the world’s oldest, established in 1756), this fortified wine is created through a unique process: during fermentation, grape brandy is added to halt fermentation and preserve the grape's natural sugars, resulting in a rich and aromatic wine.

Port Wine’s excellence is born on the Douro’s terraced vineyards, where grapevines grow along the river on poor, stony soils. Varieties like Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and Tinto Cão are fermented in traditional stone lagares, often stomped by foot to honor ancient methods. The wine is then aged for years—or even decades—in wooden barrels in the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia, where the Atlantic climate refines its aromas and deepens its complexity.

Used in two of the flavors in this PACK—the pumpkin jam and the dark chocolate spread with blueberry—Port Wine enhances the sweet and fruity notes with layered hints of dried fruit, oak, spice, and honey. In the pumpkin jam, it complements the cinnamon and rosemary honey. In the dark chocolate spread, it evokes the deep, warming character of aged wine from the Douro cellars. This dual presence of Port Wine forms a sensory thread that ties all three flavors together into one cohesive, delicious, and meaningful experience.

It is this meaningful inclusion of Port Wine that elevates the PACK to a true tribute to the Douro—a gift that goes beyond flavor to tell a story of memory, landscape, and Portuguese soul.

Algarve Orange PGI

The Algarve orange, certified with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), is one of Portugal’s most iconic fruits. Grown in the southern region with over 300 days of sunshine a year, its natural sweetness, balanced acidity, and juicy pulp make it a standout ingredient. In the pumpkin jam, it brings freshness and brightness, offering a vibrant contrast to the richness of the Port Wine and spices. This connection between the Algarve and the Douro creates a flavor bridge that unites regions and elevates the tasting experience.

São Tomé Dark Chocolate: The Cocoa Island

The São Tomé dark chocolate used in this PACK comes from the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe—discovered by Portuguese navigators in 1470 and once a colony of Portugal. It was the Portuguese who introduced cocoa to the islands, making São Tomé known as the “Chocolate Island.” To this day, the cultural and linguistic bond between the two nations remains strong, and cocoa continues to be one of the most prized products of this origin.

This 100% cocoa chocolate is known for its intense, full-bodied, and complex profile. It features notes of coffee and blackberries, with a dense and velvety texture. Neither overly bitter nor overly sweet, it offers a complete sensory experience—surprising from the first taste, with deep flavor layers and a long, memorable finish. It’s the perfect ingredient to add richness and sophistication to the blueberry and Port Wine spread, blending African and Portuguese traditions into a single product.

Each ingredient in this PACK was chosen not only for its quality, but for its origin. It’s this deep connection to the Douro Valley and other regions with rich heritage and history that makes this gift a true symbol of Portugal—with soul, memory, and flavor.