The Marinhas restaurant, in Aveiro, won the third edition of the Tascando competition, an initiative dedicated to traditional Portuguese cuisine that brought together 120 spaces from various regions of the country. According to , the establishment stood out with the dish “Octopus rice with prawns”, in an event that involved taverns from Lisbon, Porto, Braga and Aveiro.
The distinction ended up surprising the team responsible for the restaurant, who did not expect the final result of the competition.
Victory that took the team by surprise
“It’s excellent. I don’t think there are many words to describe it,” said Fátima Nunes, responsible for the space, after the award was announced. The reaction was one of widespread surprise, as the same person in charge added: “Everyone was surprised, but very happy.”
Fátima Nunes also emphasizes that participation was carefully thought out regarding the quality of the dish presented. “It didn’t make sense to take something that wasn’t up to par,” he said, also highlighting the impact of the distinction on local gastronomy. “It is also a compliment to Aveiro’s gastronomy”, he added.
The winning dish is based on a traditional preparation, in which the octopus is cooked beforehand and the cooking water is used in the rice, intensifying the final flavor. “It’s the rice we usually make, but made with the octopus’ own broth,” he explained.
Marinhas has been in existence for over 20 years and was acquired around two years ago by Fátima Nunes and her husband, Rafael Almeida. Since then, the couple has sought to reinforce the space’s identity and consolidate a consistent regional cuisine line. “It’s to show what we’re worth, with humility, but from the beginning,” said the person in charge, highlighting the continuity of the project and the focus on traditional gastronomy.
Competition spread across the country
The contest included participants from various regions. In Lisbon, the victory went to Taberna Manuel da Gorda, with “Ovas de choco”. In Porto, Adega Regional da Areosa won with “Black pork sandwich”, while in Braga the São Brás restaurant won first place with “Chicken no barbecue”.
Among all the regional winners, Marinhas obtained the highest score, which guaranteed it the title of best bar of the edition. According to the organization, Tascando aims to value traditional Portuguese cuisine and independent spaces where gastronomic identity is maintained. In this edition, 40 taverns from Porto, 40 from Lisbon, 20 from Braga and 20 from Aveiro participated.
Between the 8th and 24th of May, the restaurants were evaluated by the public and by a specialized jury, taking into account criteria such as snacks, service, hygiene and drink service. Validation of the results was ensured by an independent entity. The next edition of the competition is scheduled for 2027 and should expand participation to Coimbra and Évora, increasing the total number of taverns to 160.
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