The sausage was plump, curved and, nestled amid a table groaning with local fare, looking particularly juicy. As expected, it was delicious. The only surprise was that it was Jewish.
A Jewish sausage? Was this a joke? Not here in north-west Portugal, where even sausages come served with their own beguiling history. Jewish refugees from Spain (there were some 500,000 in total) dreamt up the dish in the late 15th century after demands from the Portuguese monarchy that they convert to Catholicism. "Sure," they responded. "We'll convert and, as a sign of our intent, we'll even take to eating sausages". Secretly, of course, the sausages were made of chicken, but spiced, making it hard to tell the difference. The story seems so very Portuguese: a touch of ingenuity, a thumbing of the nose at authority and a generous serving of humour.
Evidence of the same attitude lives on in cities such as Braga, Guimaraes and Viana do Castello, where colourful tiles adorn everything from the humblest apartment block to the grandest cathedral. Why? Because of an expensive edict proclaiming that all buildings must be painted annually - which the locals enthusiastically flouted, leaving a distinctive legacy that is still there to enjoy.
Despite being the obvious point of entry to northern Portugal, Porto offers few iconic attractions, but instead rewards lazy strolling - perhaps down to the Ribeira riverside district. The locals certainly seem to take it slowly: one wizened woman I saw was sitting on a bench, chatting away, while pigeons settled onto the folds of her clothes. Wander down to the Douro river and you can complete your journey with a boat trip through all six of the city's bridges. One was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel - of Parisian tower fame - who lived in the city for two years. Marked out by its elaborate ironwork, it isn't hard to spot.
Right across the river lies the smaller town of Vila Nova de Gaia, home to internationally renowned port brands such as Taylor's and Sandeman. We were pleased to discover that port is apparently moving into Pimm's-and-lemonade territory as a new summer drink in Portugal. But not the old tawny stuff favoured by your grandparents: this is white port, served with tonic and a slice of lemon.
Driving to Guimaraes, two hours away, two things puzzled: the apparent sanity of Portuguese drivers (legendarily mad, or so we were told) and the bewildering frequency of Australian gum trees, which straggle along the hills, an incongruous leftover of a paper farming scheme in the 1950s. But the town itself is beautiful. "Portugal was born here", the tourist adverts proclaim, and the medieval town centre is so well-preserved it has gained Unesco world heritage status.
In the middle of the town, at the Alberto Sampaio museum, the Portuguese devotion to the past becomes readily apparent. Pride of place is reserved for a gilded silver triptych from the 14th century, depicting a nativity scene, preserved despite the efforts of a cash-strapped 17th-century king who wanted to melt it down. The locals, though by no means wealthy, raised enough money to pay the king and ensure it survived, and the item is now the most visited relic in Portugal. Outside, in the lopsided polygon of the square, residents sometimes take advantage of the sun-warmed flagstones and watch a specially constructed open-air cinema well into the night. Others cluster around outside tables set up outside cafes for to sip an early evening coffee, perhaps accompanied by a "brigadier" (a round morsel of chocolate coated in sprinkles).
Those desiring a break from historic spots, however, can dodge the museum, the castle, the chapel and the palace, and take to the hills via a decrepit cable car from the southern edge of the old quarter. Paths and mountain bike trails cut through vineyards, trees and cottages.
Though Portugal is a country full of churches, Braga has more than its fair share - more than 300, the highest amount per capita in Christendom. If you only have the inclination to visit one, though, don't head downtown, where amid the intense shopping sits the Se cathedral, with its eye-wateringly elaborate organ. Instead follow the pilgrims and head out to the hills and the beautiful Bom Jesus do Monte church, which seems to float on a carpet of green trees. Ascend from the town and you crisscross a network of stairs, each decorated with unusual statues in which water bursts forth from various bodily orifices - an unusual depiction of the five senses and the virtues of faith, hope and charity. At the top, the sand-coloured neoclassical church offers more extraordinary sights: particularly striking is a vivid and dramatic crucifixion tableau with near-life-sized statues, which stands behind the altar.
If you can't face the slog up, there is a funicular on offer (though it was closed when we visited). A more peaceful option still is to stay overnight in a hillside hotel and stroll to the church in the early morning quiet. Elsewhere, upmarket accommodation comes in the form of pousadas, grand hotels dotted through the country, many of which are converted monasteries.
And Braga also offers secular cathedrals too. Fresh from a starring role in Euro 2004, the town's stadium is now a tourist attraction, attracting not just football fans but architecture enthusiasts, keen to see a 30,000-seat structure built up against sheer rock face. Some may be attracted by its impressive construction - the two shells of seats are held together by nearly 70 sets of taut steel cables - but a behind-the-scenes tour is also on offer, should you feel the need to explore team facilities or see the police holding cells for drunken fans.
The seaside town of Viana do Castello, less than two hours north of Porto, has all the heritage charm of its neighbours, plus a vivid costume museum and the region's best beaches. The church at Santa Luzia, also known as Our Lady of the Suffering, is normally packed with praying nuns - the crowds apparently unperturbed by a statute of the Virgin Mary that depicts her holding out her eyeballs on a plate. In August Viana's Our Lady of the Suffering Festival is regarded as the best in the country: residents perform stirring folk dances on streets carpeted with flowers as brightly coloured as their vivid traditional costumes. The festival starts with a solemn religious procession and ends three days later with fireworks bursting over the narrow streets, filled with enthusiastic visitors.
These frenzied celebrations are a marked contrast to an area that, for the rest of the year, is quietly content to let visitors to soak up the culture, while those in the sunnier and more popular south are happy to soak up the sun. But with Ryanair offering cheap direct flights from the UK, perhaps it's only a matter of time before the secret about the north is out.
Way to go
Castaways (01737 812255) offer a week at the Hotel Mercure Batalha in Porto with flights and car hire from £539pp; Mundi Color Holidays (020 7828 6021) offer three-night short breaks from £350pp.
For further information on Portugal and Madeira, call the Portuguese National Tourist Office on 0845 355 1212 (local rate).
