It's thick, slightly bubbly, very sweet and despite its phlegmy colour and texture incredibly delicious! The Portuguese sure knew what they were onto when they put Baba de Camelo (camel's drool, camel's spit or camel's dribble) onto their dessert menus!

Ok, before you gag and get a sick bag ready it's not really coughed up by a camel! (Yes, even I have limits!)

Baba de Camelo is a popular Portuguese dessert that's made from cooked down condensed milk and egg yolks, folded into beaten egg whites (which are responsible for its frothy texture). Despite its rather unappealing name, this is one of those times when being adventurous with your menu choice actually results in a pleasant outcome :)

I had my first taste of this dessert in Porto three years ago but hadn't caught its name. So I was very happy to see  another bowl land up on my table after a particularly delicious lunch last week in the little village of Alcochete, located opposite the Tagus river from Lisbon.

You can find the recipe and directions to recreate your own pot of camel's drool at Petit Chef. If you have a sweet tooth, don't hesitate to order it if you find it on the menu in Portugal.

PS: Although, I admit I might have been a little more hesitant to try it had it been on a menu in the Middle East ;) 

Today I head back to one of the prettiest cities I've ever visited - Porto, Portugal's northern port town that's famous for - rather unsurprisingly - port!

My last visit to the city was in 2009, a holiday with five of my cousins, my sister and brother-in-law, that was  spent - also unsurprisingly - mainly drinking port.

The city is split down the middle by the mighty Douro river, into the tumbling red-roofed, cafe-lined Ribeira district and Vila Nova de Gaia, strung all down the river bank with wine cellars proudly bearing the names of port wine labels we all know and love. Sandeman, Offley, Croft, Cockburn - the list is long, and we did a good job the last time I was in town getting through wine tastings at a fair share of them.

(Check out the photo gallery below and read about it in this article for Mumbai-based Know Your City! Burrp.com.)

This year, I'm heading to the city with my sister and brother-in-law once again, but this time accompanied by my parents and two-and-a-half-year-old niece, so traipsing up Vila Nova de Gaia's steep hills on wine cellar tours may not be as big a portion of the itinerary as it was the last time around.

We've opted instead to cruise up the Douro to the winelands where the port wine journey literally begins - a more sedate trip that we believe will be easier on three generations travelling together. The cruise is meant to take in some of Portugal's most stunning scenery, and paired with a glass (or several) of port, it sounds exactly how I'd like to spend a day in Porto.

Add to that another taste of tripe (not yet convinced about that), a few wine cellar tours and a search for francesinha, and I definitely feel a Plateplotter PORTO post coming on in the very near future :) 

It's time for yet another dish list and this time it's dominated by all things
Spanish and Portuguese. Here are the top 5 things I hope to be chomping down on (or slurping up) in the next two weeks:

Pedro Ximenez Sherry

Yes it's yet another sweeter than sweet wine on my list of favourites. With it's thick, syrupy texture, raisin and mollasses flavour and deep berry scent, this sweet sherry was one of my top finds in Spain last year and I'll be looking to raise a few happy glasses (and hopefully bring back a bottle) when I visit Madrid this weekend.

Francesinha

Despite its deceptively dainty name (it means little French girl) the Francesinha sounds like a monster sandwich. The sandwich is a Porto specialty and according to Wikipedia is made with "bread, wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage like chipolata, steak or roast meat and covered with molten cheese and a hot thick tomato and beer sauce served with french fries". If that doesn't sound like a Man vs Food-style sandwich, I don't know what does. Still, I guess I'll need something stodgy to soak up all that port ;)

Chocolate Ginja

I've already sung the praises of this cherry liqueur before, and although I'm still not sure if I'll make it up to Obidos, I'm hoping to spot a bottle of chocolate ginja on the bar shelves elsewhere in Portugal. Sweet morello cherry nectar paired with dark Belgian chocolate.... mmmm. I know alcohol shouldn't make my mouth water but this does :)

Pasteis at Pasteleria Picole

I stand firmly by my belief that Pasteis de Belem is the only place to eat Lisbon's famous pasteis de natas but my sister says otherwise. According to her, Pasteleria Picole gives the famous Belem pastry shop a run for its money. What has come to light in the last discussion we've had on these famous custard tarts is that my sister has never eaten pasteis de natas hot from the oven in Belem (she ate takeaway pasteis which I believe may have taken away something  from their piping hot goodness). I however have never eaten pasteis at Pasteleria Picole. Ever. So guess I can't really knock them till I've tried them. So the pasteis-off is declared. May the best tart win :)

Pesticos at Pérola do Fetal

When I think about my most memorable meals, lunch at Pérola do Fetal definitely comes to mind. More so because it wasn't even the mains that did it; it was a humble platter of pesticos - small snacks that are served at the start of a meal in Portugal to whet the appetite. The ones we were served did so much more - I'm close to drooling just thinking about them and I ate them three years ago. Dates wrapped in bacon, soft cheese with berry preserve, crusted mushrooms, bacalhao fritters... it was a simple selection of food that tasted divine. Again, not sure if I'll be able to find this restaurant again or get to it as it was some distance out of Lisbon, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will.

With the weeks quickly marching towards a fiery summer here in Dubai, I can't  believe that it was only a month ago that I was in Jordan, picking my way through the rain soaked streets of Amman on a chilly spring weekend.

Being a work trip, I didn't quite manage to pack in a lot of platetrotting (bar a hasty roll from the famous Shwarma Reem  just before heading to the airport) but I did discover something I had never seen or even heard of before - sage tea.

Somehow the musty herb has always been associated in my mind mainly with more hearty preparations than tea - well, chiefly lamb and potatoes. Truth be told, I don't really use it with any regularity in my cooking.

The sage tea arrived with a strange sister, thyme tea (which I have yet to taste), in my welcome pack for the training I was attending in Amman. Although I was immediately intrigued I didn't get round to making myself a cup until this week and was pleasantly surprised at the results.

Sage tea tastes a bit like mint tea, but not quite. I remember reading a description of the minty aftertaste of sage vis-a-vis that of mint itself as more a Fall rather than a Spring taste, and I think that describes it perfectly. It tastes a bit mossy and minty and the flavour was definitely improved with the addition of sugar, with which it is usually served.

The tea is apparently very popular in Jordan and traces its usage back to Bedouin folk, who prescribed it for all sorts of ailments ranging from coughs, colds, sore throats and even skin infections. The tea concentrates the anti-inflammatory properties of the herb which probably accounts for its reputation as a cure for all sorts of ills.

I'll definitely be sipping some more if I ever head back to Jordan, and I'm hoping the next time I'll be able to enjoy it as it should - brewed in the traditional manner at a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum.