Madeira Wine and its influence on American History – Early American history (17th – 18th centuries)

Madeira Wine and its influence on American History – Early American history (17th – 18th centuries)

The 18th century was the “golden age” for Madeira. The wine’s popularity extended from the American colonies and Brazil in the New World to Great Britain, Russia, and Northern Africa. The American colonies, in particular, were enthusiastic customers, consuming as much as a quarter of all wine produced on the island each year. Madeira was […]

Portuguese influences on world cuisine

Portuguese influences on world cuisine

Portugal formerly had a large empire and the cuisine has been influenced in both directions. A Portuguese influence is strongly evident in Brazilian cuisine, which features its own versions of Portuguese dishes such as feijoada and caldeirada (fish stew). Other Portuguese influences can be tasted in the Indian province of Goa, where Goan cuisine dishes […]

The São João Baptista, Portuguese Galleon Warship

The São João Baptista, Portuguese Galleon Warship

The São João Baptista, Saint John the Baptist, commonly known as the Botafogo, was a Portuguese galleon warship built in the 16th century, around 1534, considered the biggest and most powerful warship in the world at the time.   Botafogo on the left in this engraving, Portuguese flag on the top This ship could carry 366 […]

Chili Peppers Trade: Global Warming

Chili Peppers Trade: Global Warming

In 1492, when Christopher Columbus set off from Spain to find a westward route to Asia, he was looking to secure Europe’s kitchen, not change it. Europeans had used black pepper as a medicinal aid and to spice up their cooking since Greek and Roman times. The ingredient, imported from the Spice Islands of Asia, […]

Portuguese settlement in Chittagong, in Bangladesh

Portuguese settlement in Chittagong, in Bangladesh

Chittagong (Xatigan in Portuguese), the second largest city and main port of Bangladesh, was home to a thriving trading post of the Portuguese Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Portuguese first arrived in Chittagong around 1528  and left in 1666 after the Mughal conquest. It was the first European colonial enclave in the historic region of Bengal. […]

Portugal and The Slave Trade, Portugal Case Study

Portugal, which pioneered the opening of the wider world to European trade and conquest, seems an unlikely country to have exercised such remarkable influence. It had a small population, and compared to some of its northern European contemporaries, its economy was backward. But its location gave it quite an advantage. Its long Atlantic coastline sat […]