Loving Portugal since I fondue

The Portuguese know 365 ways to cook bacalao (cod fish) or one for every day of the year – that’s 315 more ways than Paul Simon’s 50 ways to leave a lover. Which is just as well, since the way to a lover’s heart is through his stomach, and thankfully, kitchen implements from Portugal have more to offer than pots, pans and cutlery for bacalao.

Silampos and Herdmar, two Portuguese companies featured in the ongoing Portuguese Festival in Manila, show how Portuguese design in the kitchen is top-rate. Admittedly, Portugal is not the first country that comes to mind when one thinks of cookware or cutlery – Italy and France may be two of the more well-known European countries to claim the title in large part due to their long, prestigious and popular traditions in cooking – but looking at their product exhibits at the 5th level of Rustan’s Makati you realize just how these Portuguese companies are very conscious of crafting everyday objects into works of art. They are also very proud that in this era of global companies taking their manufacturing bases to China (cheap costs, high margins), they have defiantly stuck to their home country and continue to stamp their products with "Made in Portugal."

Take Silampos’ fondue as an example of Portuguese craftsmanship. Called "Yumi" (an alliteration of "yummy," we presume), the fondue brings together functionality, modernity and aesthetics into a small package of stainless steel. You don’t even have to use it that often to appreciate it – it’s like that damn Michael Graves bird kettle – it’s so pretty you want it in your kitchen whether you use it once a day or once a year. A veritable conversation piece, the fondue set is sculptural in form, a gleaming piece that promises good times at the dinner table. It’s just one on the long list of Silampos’ eye-candy cookware.

Bernardo Araujo, Silampos assistant manager for administration, says, "Our products have personality. Every cookware represents the company’s dedication to craftsmanship and good design."

A family-owned company, Silampos was founded in 1951 by his grandfather whose first venture into the industry was through aluminum cookware and later gained prominence with its line of safe and sturdy pressure cookers. Today, it makes everything from woks to tabletop stone griddles. It is distributed in prestigious shops in Great Britain, Spain, Italy, France, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Saudi Arabia and the Nordic countries, with Finland being its top foreign market. In Asia, it’s in Japan, Hong Kong and, for the past four years, the Philippines.

My own introduction to the brand was about two years ago, when I bought their pasta pot. I was meeting a friend at the home department of Rustan’s (a nice place to hang out while you’re waiting, except that you never come out without making a purchase). I had wanted to buy a pasta pot for the longest time, the kind that has a built-in colander which eliminates the risk of burning yourself when draining the pasta. The ones that were on the local market back then were either too shallow for uncooked spaghetti to "stand" or had flimsy wire baskets. The only pots that were deep enough were stock pots, which didn’t have the colander, and those for sterilizing baby bottles. Anyway, long story short, when I saw the Silampos pasta pot, it literally stopped me in my tracks. It was perfectly sized and perfectly priced (a similar Alessi pot, which is also so gorgeous though I haven’t seen one locally, costs more than twice as much).

The pasta pot is virtually idiot- and klutz-proof, modern in styling and made with a thermic bottom that evenly distributes heat. Araujo says the Nautilus pasta pot is one of the company’s bestselling products. Couples who like contemporary designs and singles living in condominiums especially love it.

While the company has won several awards for its designs and has represented Portugal in European design competitions, Araujo emphasizes that design is not just what makes the company one of the most prestigious brands in the industry. It’s also the technology and engineering behind its products. For instance, its most recent innovation is the Impact Disc Plus, in which the heat-distribution component is integrated inside the bottom of the pot, not an add-on layer outside the bottom.

If you’re married, you know that the one thing a bride always gets a lot of on her wedding day is cutlery. Three or four years into the marriage, she finds that she doesn’t have any cutlery fit for a party – like socks, they just disappear and she’s left with mismatched pieces from the ever-present wedding starter sets.

Maria Jose Marques of Herdmar says, "One bride should have at least one big set for her formal dinners and parties." It’s her god-given right to have a 130-piece set. Yup, 130 pieces of cutlery including servers for 10 people; it’s so proper that you have different teaspoons for espresso and tea. Imagine that, surrounded by more than 10 pieces of flatware. As a host, it would be embarrassing to serve fewer than three courses!

Maria is a third-generation family member to be involved in the business. Herdmar was founded by her grandfather Manuel Marques in 1911. Needless to say, she knew early on which spoon and fork to use for what food, and she spent many a school vacation at the Herdmar factory in Porto, helping pack the cutlery into their boxes.

It’s a small family business, she likes to say, but today, the company takes her all over the world as 80 percent of their products are exported to 62 countries around the world. The remaining 20 percent is for the Portuguese market with a concentration on the catering and hospitality industries.

Some 60 of Herdmar’s product lines are available at Rustan’s. That seems like a big number to choose from. After all, a spoon is just a spoon, right? How many variations can you do with it? It turns out a lot, lot more.

Maria says, "Cutlery is meant to last a lifetime or two. That’s why our designs are timeless because they have to go with a person’s dinnerware and glassware. We have to constantly improve and change the shape, shade, and finishing of the pieces to keep up with the design trends."

Herdmar comes out with new collections twice a year and presents these in European trade shows in January and September. Its bestsellers are the contemporary collections in matte or sandblasted finish, and with simple details on the stem or in some cases, no detailing at all.

Maria says, "Young couples prefer the modern styles and pieces that are not so long." The shape of the spoon and fork is important, too, when choosing your cutlery as this may set the tone for the rest of the tableware. Some people prefer the traditional elongated shape, while others like the squarish silhouettes. One line that caught my eye is a set that’s shaped round – almost like a Botero creation in its stoutness.

Herdmar also recently launched its line of children’s cutlery with caricature and engraved designs that include zodiac signs.

With cutlery and cookware like these, you may be inspired to train your kids early in the art of dining and perhaps come up with 365 ways to cook adobo.

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Silampos cookware and Herdmar cutlery are exclusively distributed by Rustan’s Department Store. The Portuguese Festival in Manila runs for the whole month of October, with a product exhibit at the 5th level of Rustan’s Makati.