DRIFT Travel Magazine Spring 2024

Salts range from traditional coarse
flakes to more experimental blends
mixed with red pepper, oregano,
lemon, or apricots. Some are drawn
to artisanal salt in a smoked infusion;
others opt for the gourmet, handharvested,
“salt flower”(flor de sal).
This refers to the fine crystals,
which are known for their mineral
content, and skimmed off the top
of the water in the salt beds for a
premium product, considered the
“caviar of salt,” since it intensifies
flavors. The particularly white hue is
due to the hot, dry climate while the
packaging is captivating both in small,
colorful boxes of mini test tubes
and traditional cork jars, keeping the
humidity to a minimum.
DRIFT TRAVEL
17
“RATHER THAN GIVING
AN INJECTION TO MILK
THE SHEEP, I PREFER TO
PLAY CLASSICAL MUSIC
TO RELAX THEM BEFORE
HAND-MILKING.”
- FARMER RICARDO COUTO
Cheese
A variety of artisanal sheep and goat
cheeses from mild to pungent are
produced throughout Portugal along
with high-quality regional wines. A
charismatic Dom and his uncle, the
refined Duke of Palmelo, greet me
in the Portuguese countryside to
view their state-of the-art artisanal
cheese-making facility, Casa de
Calhariz on their family estate.
While gentleman farmer Dom Pedro
is more interested in speaking
about scuba diving off the pristine
Portuguese islands in the Azores,
he does tour me around the cheese
operation after I cover my shoes with
baby blue paper booties (similar to
ones I wore in an Asian museum to
preserve its floors).