The Cataplana - The Most Iconic Dish from the Algarve

Cataplana - From Faro Fish Market to an unforgettable Cooking Class

How did the cataplana come about? What is the cooking method? What recipes can be cooked in this utensil? These are some of the questions that you will find answered by the chef who will accompany you in this unique and immersive cooking class, running every Thursday in Faro and that you can book on our platform at this link: Cataplana Cooking Class; a real journey through the Algarve's fishing culture, where you will learn about the different fish and crustaceans that inhabit the Algarve's sea, how to clean and cook them with a real chef.  

The Chef and the Restaurant organizing this cooking class, have been involved since many years in serious research and innovation of this unique tool, which is reminiscent of the Moroccan Tagina but unlike it, has always been made of copper. 

The project led to the creation of this kitchen classroom and this beautiful book now available for free download at this link: Free E-Book About the Cataplana in Algarve , with over 40 cataplana recipes, as well as some interesting facts about the Algarve and its gastronomy. 

This amazing work, involved researchers, chefs and above all those few craftsmen who still knew how to handle the Coppersmith job. Working copper to produce pieces necessary for domestic life or even for industrial production is a very old activity. In Loulé, there were coppersmiths since the first years after the Christian conquest, since the trade is mentioned in the offical charter (Foral in Portuguese) granted to the town by D. Alfonso III in 1266. Thanks to this project, this art is going to be passed down by generations.

Where I can buy a real Copper Cataplana in Algarve and how much it will cost?

There is only one answer to this question: Barbacã Street, Loulé.

The “Copper Shop” is placed in the Rua da Barbacã, a shop available by the council so that the artisans work together, create and sell their products, fulfilling a series of requests to assure the authenticity that bring value to the knowledge and authenticity of the pieces.

All other Cataplanas you will find in shops across the Algarve are not hand-made, and you will notice the difference in price.You can find an industrial HAMMERED OXIDISED COPPER CATAPLANA 33 CM for about 80 euros in many online stores, But the real one of the same size but much ticker and resistant, that will last a lifetime, can cost around 200 euros, but it's great value for money.