LISBON
FIELD NOTES ON FOOD CULTURE
by Carra Santos
LISBON
4
WELCOME I believe that forward-thinking food culture is the key to positive economic, environmental and social change. Through my Field Notes on Food Culture, I explore the food stories and trends that spark conversations and set the scene for effective inspiration and engagement, so gaining a better understanding of the food ecosystem, its potential, and its impact, which is crucial to forging a better future for all. Here are some stories that inspire me in Lisbon, a vibrant city of discovery and endless transformation, with inclusivity and community at the heart. I hope they inspire you too.
CARRA
All words and images Š Carra Santos
8
COZINHA POPOLAR DA MOURARIA
THE KITCHEN THAT BUILDS COMMUNITY THROUGH COOKING The battered brown door on a cobbled street in Lisbon’s maze-like Mouraria district gives nothing away, as we search Rua das Olarias for its much-loved Cozinha Popolar. But thankfully, on our third-or-so pass, the door is opened by a lady and her labrador to reveal the long communal tables, mismatched chairs and open kitchen that form ‘The People’s Kitchen’, one of Lisbon’s most beloved socioenvironmental projects. Cozinha Popolar da Mouraria is a social enterprise founded by photographer Adriana Freire - the lady in question, with the labrador - who set up the civicminded project to support and empower a neighbourhood that needed a little love and light. The Mouraria district is the most historic and multi-ethnic area of Lisbon, formed from the waves of Moorish immigrants unable to set up home within the original city walls of the Castelo de São Jorge, instead spreading out over the hill below. These humble beginnings carried through the years, so that Mouraria remains a place of relative poverty, but also enormous diversity and tradition - Portugal’s infamous Fado music originated here. But the richness of culture and character was being stifled by lack of mobility, lack of integration, and rising crime.
10
Adriana saw cooking as the ‘universal language’ which would connect all the different nations and backgrounds, and used it to create a community hub which would pull together all their skills and resources in the spirit of entrepreneurship. In training and working together to grow, harvest, prepare and cook food for the neighbourhood, as well as the many groups of people who book to dine, the young, poor, unemployed, isolated, elderly, rehabilitated - anyone experiencing a degree of marginalisation - were given the opportunity to be part of a community caring for each other and the environment. The modesty of the low-key entrance is just the first evidence of the simple and wholesome vibes that permeate the disused upholstery workshop it inhabits, decorated with eclectic furniture and objects donated by the locals who have gladly contributed a piece of themselves and made it their extended family home. Always fresh and seasonal, meals are prepared in bulk for group bookings (to limit food waste) and are served as a five course buffet. The menu often takes on the flavours of the chef of the night (as you can see from the previous sketch, Eritrea was the featured nationality the night we attended). The principle is that if you can pay, you pay, to ensure those who need to be fed are fed, and so wealth is distributed more evenly.
Cookery classes, chef pop-ups, connections with local schools and urban farming are all part of the make-up of activities that give a central focus to the disparate community and form the endless energy and reach of the project free to residents, fees to the rest, to make the project self-sustaining.
12
Our visit, the atmosphere and the food were unforgettable - as is the endlessly inspiring Adriana Freire, a powerhouse in uniting people for positive change through the medium of food. We feel privileged to have had the chance to experience it first-hand - what good fortune for us, that she stepped out of that battered brown door when she did. .
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY Lisbon’s ‘Festa do Santo António’ is the ultimate street party. With streetfood carts on every corner, roasted sardines and sangria fuel processions and dancing, against a nightlong backdrop of traditional and contemporary beats. The smoke-filled streets of Castelo, Mouraria, Graça, Alfama and Bairro Alto are decorated with miles of paper garlands and dotted with pots of sweet basil (manjerico; a symbol of love) in honour of the city’s favourite saint. It’s an annual celebration spanning 12th to 14th June, and it’s filled with fun and flavour - a feast indeed, for all the senses.
15
PAVEMENT TO PANTRY In a seemingly never-ending stream of socio-environmental ingenuity, the brains behind Cozinha Popolar have also realised an agro-urban innovation project, Muita Fruta. Muita Fruta (which means ‘Lots of Fruit’) plots the city’s plentiful fruit trees on an interactive online map, and provides the framework and knowhow for volunteers to effectively harvest the fruit, protect the trees, and plant more where suitable space is available. In the spirit of community development, sustainability and zero waste, the harvested fruit is then distributed to those in need, or sold to fund the project’s continued growth. The project’s impact is rooted and extended further with classes and demonstrations on horticultural and food preservation techniques. Workshops, events and dinners with renowned chefs complete the experience from pavement to pantry. The community network nurtured alongside this reconnection with nature embraces everyone from the underprivileged, the unemployed, the elderly and immigrants, to the eco-conscious, tourists, students and more. Forging powerful and enduring bonds through purposeful, hands-on participation, Muita Fruta is an inspiration to progressive cities everywhere. www.muitafruta.org 16
NATURAL GATHERINGS A sparkling expanse of water stretching from the heart of Spain to the Atlantic coast at Lisbon, the River Tagus (O Tejo) is intrinsic to Lisbon’s inimitable history of seafaring and discovery. The 25 de Abril suspension bridge and the infamous Christo Rei statue provide a striking vista at the home of Europe’s busiest port, lit up by the river traffic and fishing boats that pass daily. There’s no question that the river has always been a feature of the city, but it was largely blocked to public use by an infrastructure of roads and rail, until several years ago, when some magic happened - Lisbon began to see it in a brand new light. The powers-thatbe gained a whole new appreciation for its beauty and setting, and spotted its untapped offering to the city’s inhabitants and visitors. A period of boards and scaffolds paved the way to a series of walkways, cyclepaths and seating - a manmade ‘river-beach’ of sorts, creating a cooling, refreshing break from the city’s tight streets and tramways. But the finished paths were just the beginning of the story for this new riverside experience. Once the planners realised their vision and stepped back, the people of Lisbon found their perches and brought it to life. 20
Buzzing by day but most beautiful at sundown, when the bridge starts to twinkle as the sun sinks behind. Never without a streetfood or cocktail cart nearby, and always to a soft soundtrack of adhoc musicians, the stretch of riverbank is the setting for a swathe of initiatives from creative industries and food entrepreneurs, experimenting and interacting with an enthusiastic audience. And the businesses and cultural centres along its length are equally enlivened, united by a newly accessible connecting route. So the River Tagus is no longer just a geographical feature, and in no way just a promenade - the banks of the Tagus have become a destination and a lifesource for Lisboetas and tourists, thriving on the connection to nature, new energy and new experiences. A fascinating observation point for evolving food and social culture, with nature at the source.
Starting your journey along the river at Praça do Comércio will lead you to some of best food and cultural spots in the city. We followed it past Cais do Sodré and Mercado da Ribeira (home of the Time Out Market), to the recently-converted industrial enclave in Alcântara, LX Factory, an exciting emergence of eateries and creative entrepreneurs.
SETTING THE SCENE
KALEIDOSCOPIC COLOUR With almost every building tiled or brightly-painted, and washed with the distinctive light from the Tagus’ reflective surface, Lisbon is a kaleidoscope of colour, pattern and texture. It offers rich inspiration for any design concept infusing a flavour of its identity . It’s abundantly clear that cultural heritage and traditional skills are revered by the Portuguese, and they have a distinct knack for combining old and new. It’s particularly evidenced in their ongoing production of azulejos, applying fresh colour palettes and graphic treatments.
27
PATTERN & PRINT Decorative ceramic crockery and glazed terracotta tableware are abundant in Cerâmicas da Linha, an end-of-line and ‘seconds’ store in Bairro Alto. The range is vast and eclectic, ideal for perfectlystyled visual storytelling. The props and styling theme continues around the corner at A Vida Portuguesa, which stocks authentic foodie gifts and homewares made only in Portugal - as ever with a contemporary take on the traditional, such as the highly detailed moulds, below.
31
Branding and design seem universally briefed to embrace the present with a proud nod to the past, and what results is a contemporary application of illustration, photography, typography, colour and materials. The refreshed take on traditional sardine packaging to be found at Loja das Conservas really appeals to the imagination, and evokes an artisan age for modern times. 32
TEXTURE & LINE Lisbon’s surge in street art with a distinctive literary style has rendered it as intrinsic to the city’s identity as its fabled azulejos. With a poetic and whimsical aesthetic, the scripts and illustrations adorn almost every free surface - the more derelict the better, as the uneven and exposed surfaces add unexpected tones, texture and depth. This city commission by artist Mariana Dias Coutinho celebrates poets including Natália Correia and Florbela Espanca.
37
World-renowned Portuguese street artist, Vhils, carves through decades of stone, plaster and brick to create striking urban art richly detailed with line, pattern and texture. These remarkable images pop up where you least expect them.
“When we try to pick out
anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.� JOHN MUIR
ABOUT CARRA SANTOS Carra Santos is a creative futurist and brand consultant, bridging the gap between what’s now and what’s next for forward-thinking food culture. For close to ten years, she has worked at the intersection of food and design, using a blend of design thinking, cultural insights and empathy to make future concepts relatable and engaging. And along the way, she has cultivated a special knack for connecting far-flung dots and bringing complex concepts down-to-earth - as that’s how we will make the future feasible, and positive change truly take hold. Independently, and alongside her innovation and design consultancy, Mette, she has shown audiences of 27,000 how algae can be the next form of food and fuel. She has brought the future of food indoors, showing the design
industry how to integrate microagriculture into interiors and furniture. She has worked with industry leaders and brands such as 100% Design for London Design Festival, British Council, Gaggenau, Formica Group and The Food People, with projects named ‘Most Popular’ by 25,000 at London Design Festival, and featured internationally from New York Times and Wired Magazine to ICON and Wallpaper*. Carra’s workshops and creative consultancy inspire food entrepreneurs and established brands navigating a new era of changemaking, transparency and purpose - to improve their culture and thought processes, and translate progressive concepts into engaging experiences that inspire everyday life. 41
CARRA SANTOS CREATIVE FUTURIST & BRAND CONSULTANT
Crafting and communicating forward-thinking food culture.
t +44 (0) 7960 866284 e studio@carrasantos.com w carrasantos.com FIELD NOTES ON FOOD CULTURE
carrasantos.com/field-notes
Carra Santos
carrasantos.com
