A group of property owners from Ericeira – north of Lisbon – is contesting an ancient law which concerns waterfront properties being transferred to the Portuguese State unless one can prove in court that the land has been in private hands for at least 150 years.

Now if you think a little back, we talked about a controversial ruling which obliges owners of property in waterfront locations – such as those along the entire Algarve coastline – considered by the State as ‘hydric land’ in the public domain, to prove the public ownership of said land for at least a century-and-a-half in court before January 1, 2014, or it would revert to the ownership of the state.

The properties affected by this ancient law are those located on land within fifty metres from the sea or clifftop edge and within thirty metres in the case of a riverbank.

In the case of Ericeira, it is a coastal town – like so many in Portugal – with a history that goes back many hundreds of years and clifftops lined with very old properties, but not that many legal documents proving the ownership for such a long period of time.

The Ericeira group was formed back in 2005 – when this old law was reviewed – and comprised of twenty property owners.  The group is now made up of more than 80 owners who with the assistance of lawyers and historians, meet regularly to discuss their actions against this preposterous measure.

Earlier this year the group sent a formal letter to the Ministry of the Environment, which apparently has dismissed the subject by passing it onto the Secretary of State for the Environment and no satisfactory reply to the letter was ever received.

Several political groups have also contested the complexity of the process for property owners to legalize their situation, but haven’t really said anything about completely abolishing this old law.

Till this day the town retains much of its recent historical charm, featuring many cobbled streets, old houses and very colorful bougainvilleas. Nowadays the highest point of the town is dominated by the parish church.

The town of Porches is a great place to explore one of the characteristic features of Algarve house architecture, elaborate chimneys. In the past the chimney used to signal the status of the house owner and was also used as a type of signature of the builder.

You may not expect it from such a rather small town, but there are quite a few very good restaurants which focus on evening dining, so much so that booking in advance is advisable during the busy summer months. Obviously there are also many cafes and snack bars, as well as a small market.

The area around the town has been known for hundreds of years for its clay pits and in the past the place produced some very large terracotta pots which you can see dotting the townscape. These were used to store wine, water and olive oil. Unfortunately the industry declined during the 19^th century due to imports of cheaper and lighter pottery and china, however the town was put back on the map back in the 1060 by the Irish artist Patrick Swift. His revival of the ancient Algarve style of pottery decoration sparked renewed interest in pottery in the town and nowadays Porches pottery is well-known across the continent. Besides the traditionally decorated pieces, Moorish decorations are also used and everyday items featuring these designs are created too.

The closes beach is divided into two by a 100-meter long tunnel, which you should check the tides before going into.

But even though the piri-piri is almost synonymous with the regions’ chicken, shrimp and a plethora of other dishes, it’s interesting to note that it wasn’t indigenous to the region. The piri-piri chilli, as well as other sweet chillies were brought by Portuguese seafarers from the New World. It’s not well known where exactly the piri-piri came from but what matters is that it has been part of the region’s gastronomy for many hundreds of years by now.

Chicken Piri-piri

This is probably the most well-known and most easily available dish in the region, it can be found pretty much on any menu anywhere in the Algarve.

What chicken Piri-piri basically is a smallish chicken, cut in half, slashed to the bone and marinated in a mixture of sea salt and spices for several hours, after which you grill it over hot coals. The resulting product is traditionally cut into small pieces and served with potatoes and a side salad. As you might think there are variations of this basic recipe all throughout the region, some places will serve the entire grilled half chicken and French fries tend to be the ubiquitous side dish to the spicy bird.

Considering the fact that the Portuguese are very keen on pork as well, it’s interesting to see that Piri-piri pork isn’t as easy to find in the Algarve, however you will find Piri-piri shrimp, it most likely has to do with the more easily available raw materials.

You can find piri-piri in a wide array of product type, and lovers of spicy foods will love to experiment with as many of them as possible.

For a great overview of the different varieties of piri-piri infused recipes, keep our Algarve car rental services in mind, it will make getting from one place to another that much easier.