Visitor's guide
Ferraria de S. João
Heritage
The urban structures in the village are an example of its eminently rural existance, favouring agriculture and pastoral activities.
As far as buildings are concerned, there is a strong presence of the popular element in architecture, where local materials like wood, schist rock, limestone and quartz rock are predominant. The majority of the houses reflects this rural touch, being two storey buldings, the ground floor being used as a storage area and a pen, and the upper floor for people to live in. In the same way, if the pens are made to show the schist rock they were made of, the upper floor is, in most cases, plastered and painted due to a bigger need for comfort in the living area. These traits give a unique ambience to Ferraria de S. João
Geography
Ferraria de São João is located on the extreme east of the Penela council, on the limit with the council of Figueiró dos Vinhos, in the interior of the Espinhal mountain range, between two quartz peeks, at an attitude of around 640 metres. It belongs to the Cumieira parish, with a total area of 19.53 km2.
Food
The charter of Penela, a village of Xisto, Ferraria de S- João, in 1338, enumerates the existance of horses, deer, wild rabbits, sheep, mountain pigs and cows. In the farms, wheat and barley was grown.
Soup of cozido with chopped cabbage
Ingredients:Chopped cabbage, olive oil, potatoes, chouriço, bacon, salt.
Boil the bacon and the chouriço or a blood saussage. After they have been cooked, take them away from the water and, in their place, put the chopped cabbage and the potatoes, letting them cook well. Serve with corn bread, the chouriço and the bacon.
Recipe given by Mr. José Vaz.
Discover more recipes from this village in the Gastronomical Map of the Aldeias do Xisto.
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