The Origens Shop has been committed to honouring and showcasing the best flavours of the Algarve
– August 22, 2022
Coming from the sea and the mountains, from east to west, the products available at the Origens shop show the best flavours that the Algarve has to offer. This is, precisely, the goal, according to owner Luís Alberto.
“It’s a retrospective and an appreciation of Algarvian flavours. It’s a reflection of our love for the land, regional products and the town’s history. The idea is to promote and highlight Algarve products as opposed to all the others on the market, which are also very good, of course, but are not ours. We are loyal to the region,” says the Ferragudo-native.
Although the shop has been active for over six years, it has only been working with this concept for a year and a half. “Here, we do not usually offer products that the big supermarkets have. Instead, we focus on smaller productions”, such as handicrafts, says the shop owner.
Coming into the shop, you are quickly taken into a typical Algarvian house, with a small display of old regional pieces, like cataplana dishes and crockery, several books of traditional recipes and hand-painted pictures representing the sea that waves so close by. On the counter, there are goat cheeses from Portal dos Queijos, a brand from São Brás de Alportel, and sourdough bread from the Seara Nova de Monchique bakery, with wholemeal, cereals, cracklings, chorizo and anise options.
On the shelves, clients will find jams and preserves of various flavours, like persimmon and avocado, olive oil from Lagar dos Pardieiros and even orange vinegar from the Algarve and pomegranate vinegar. The super-spicy lemon and mango piri-piris are from Portimão, and the honey comes from Melaria do Pé da Cruz, in Monchique. Another highlight is the tinned fish, from brands such as Sabor Real, Fides, Pescaria do Algarve and Nazarena, of shredded cod with chickpeas, sardines, mackerel, tuna, horse mackerel and anchovy fillets, among others. In the fridge, there are olives and carrots from Lagoa and sausages such as black pudding, smoked ham, sausage and bacon, all from Idália de Monchique, as well as yoghurts from Portal dos Queijos.
The sweets area is made up of handmade caramels of various flavours, from the José Palmito brand, the traditional Esquecidos biscuits from Rumo ao Campo and almond cheeses and fig stars from producers in Lagoa. From São Brás de Alportel, come the Uma Arroba products, such as dried fruits, carob flour, energy bars and figos cheios (dried figs stuffed with nuts) from Bengado. But the highlight at Origens are the alcoholic drinks. There’s Faro craft beer and cinnamon, pineapple, pennyroyal, orange, pomegranate and carob liqueurs, from Sabor do Sul and Talurdinha, along with sweet potato, fig and persimmon spirits under this label. Other highlights include melosa (a type of firewater with honey), Silves orange wine and sparkling wines. Among the wines, there are also reds, rosés, whites, vinho verde and port wines, the latter being the only products in the shop that are not produced in the Algarve.
Most of the labels are from the western Algarve, all carefully selected by Luís Alberto, who highlights Paxá, Quinta do Barranco Longo, Dona Niza Wines, Arvad Wines, Cabrita Wines, Quinta dos Santos, Quinta do Francês, Quinta do Barradas, Herdade dos Pimenteis and even the Foral de Portimão from Quinta da Penina, and prices range from just under €14 up to over €30.
In addition to local produce, there are works by artisans Elsa Natal and Aida, who use various materials to create mandalas, guardian angels, dolls and key rings. For the future, and according to the owner, there is no lack of ideas. “We want to have a small area for product tasting, and live music, which will always be Portuguese.”
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