00:00Hungry?
00:01Craving generous portions of hearty soul food?
00:05And all for a few euros?
00:06Then a Portuguese Tashka is the place for you.
00:09A little best of from the menu.
00:19Beans.
00:20Wonderful.
00:25Grilled sea bream, it's really good.
00:29Portuguese sardines.
00:31At first glance, it's an unassuming place.
00:34So what makes it so popular?
00:36It's not pretentious.
00:39It's what it is.
00:40And the food is great.
00:42It's more about the food than it is about the rest.
00:45It's mostly a place where you come typically with your friends
00:48or with your family.
00:50Mostly on the lunch, not so much dinner.
00:55If you know Mr. João, you will see that everyone likes him
01:01and likes to come here.
01:06Welcome to Imperial de Campo de Orique, João's Tashka.
01:17João has been running the Tashka for 40 years.
01:20It's filled with memories of home in northern Portugal.
01:23But if it weren't for the Tashka's undercover boss, João's wife Adelaida,
01:27their daughter-in-law Mila and son Nuno,
01:30the operation would grind to a halt.
01:32Tashkas are usually a family affair.
01:35But for Nuno, the family extends beyond the counter.
01:37It's a family relationship.
01:41We see the customer as part of our family.
01:44They're the whole reason why we're here.
01:48Regulars who arrive early are often served by the entire family.
02:05Joao is more than just an owner.
02:07He's the head host.
02:08He knows most of his guests by name
02:10and makes sure they feel right at home.
02:14You can find pretty much anybody.
02:17You can find young people, working class people.
02:21You can find older people that meet their friends here.
02:24And this also serves as like a social point of guarantee
02:27where people, because in Tashkas they know everything about the neighborhood.
02:32So when you want to know something, you always ask the people from the Tashka
02:37because they know.
02:39Tiago Paish has eaten his way through countless Tashkas in Lisbon
02:43and written a book about the best ones.
02:48Tashkas have existed throughout the country since the 20th century,
02:52but most are here in the capital.
02:54Bizarrely, Tashkas used to be places that sold coal.
02:58Owners would earn some money on the side by selling wine and snacks.
03:04People would go there to buy coal or some other stuff for the house
03:09and they would stop to drink a little bit of wine.
03:12And then they haul, like coal shops.
03:14When electricity came, coal shops were not needed anymore.
03:20So there were the taverns and then the taverns transformed into little restaurants.
03:25In 2010, there were some 3,000 Tashkas in Lisbon.
03:29But many have since closed down.
03:32The pandemic hit them hard and rising rents threaten many more.
03:36Value these kind of places because there are not many of them.
03:39And we don't know for how long they will survive.
03:43So it's important to look at these kind of places.
03:47So, here's how it works.
03:49Olives, bread and cheese are brought to the table unprompted unless you decline.
03:54Then, a main course easily big enough for two.
03:57And leave room for dessert.
03:59They're great too.
04:00But how can you tell if a Tashka is a tourist trap?
04:04If they have like tapas on the menu, before that.
04:07Or if they have taella as the main dish, it's not a Tashka for sure.
04:13Checking the menu online beforehand?
04:15Forget it.
04:17At Joao's Tashka, there's only one.
04:19Handwritten in chalk every morning by Adelaida.
04:24Every day is different.
04:29In summer, there are more grilled dishes.
04:35In winter, we have more dishes cooked in pots.
04:40Like stews that are served more in winter.
04:48For example, feijoada or dobrada.
04:55Now we have macalhau.
05:00Fried cod, sardines, fava bean stew.
05:04You'll find dishes here truly unique to Portugal.
05:07Just give them a try.
05:08If you want some pointers, ask your waiter.
05:14Here we have an expression, o que é que está a ser rápido.
05:18So, what's going out quickly, you know?
05:21What's quickly to serve?
05:22What's quick to serve?
05:24Because that's usually the dish of the day that they have.
05:26They have been doing it from the first hours in the morning, so it's always ready to go.
05:32Tashkas are also good value for money.
05:34A full meal, including drinks, will set you back less than 30 euros.
05:38But many, including João's, close up shop after midday.
05:46For me, it's about Portuguese tradition.
05:49Our roots.
05:51A tashka is something that must be preserved at all costs.
05:54It's a part of our culture.
05:57A tashka isn't just about the food.
06:00It's a place of belonging.
06:02What about where you live?
06:03Do you have your own kind of tashka?
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