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| Lagos, Portugal |
1- Portugal had the longest global empire in human history: 600 years.
2 - Portugal was the first colonial power to abolish slavery in 1761 - Portugal was also the first country in Europe to open a 'Slave Market' in Lagos, Algarve.
3 - Portugal introduced the habit of drinking tea in Britain. The world-famous tea ceremony in England has emerged thanks to Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, who married the King Charles II of England and brought this mode to the court.
4 - Due to their history as explorers, colonisers, traders and missionaries, Portuguese ended up having a massive effect on world cuisine. Among other things, they introduced:
- Chili to India,
- Peanuts to South East Asia,
- Tempura to Japan,
- Battered fish to the UK (via Jewish exiles),
- They also first brought sweet oranges to Europe, which is why the word for orange, in many Southern European languages is derived from the world Portugal (eg portocală in Romanian).
5 - Portuguese invented a musical style called FADO. It's usually a melancholy theme, accompanied by mandolins or guitars.
6 - Portugal was the first country in the world to abolish the death penalty.
7 - In most cultures people eat parts of pork. Some cultures eat no pork. Portuguese eat the whole pork. Even its entrails.
8 - Napoleon tried to conquer Portugal 3 times and failed.
9 - Portugal has literally over 1000 different recipes for Bacalhau (Codfish).
10 - The oldest bookshop in the world (Livraria Bertrand) is in Lisbon, Portugal. It has been open since 1732.
11 - Almost 95% of the country is ocean.
12 - The easy way to irritate a portuguese is by calling them spanish.