Ereira Rice

Vitor Martinho is from the land. The rice cultivation is in his blood, or this wouldn’t be his activity since ever, shared with his brother in Ereira, parish of the municipality of Montemor-o-Velho, district of Coimbra, in Beira Litoral.
Own production of rice is a family business inherited from his father. Small, but "it's already a lot of work!" For him, Vítor Martinho, and for his brother. Both still count with an effective employee and friends in this craft that much depends on the water and the sun.
The annual cultivation is in the Carolino Rice Basin of Baixo Mondego (IGP). Low temperature and sun exposure are preponderant during the period prior to harvest, as they provide for gradual maturation and favorable composition of the rice grain.
However, Vítor Martinho complains about the climate this year. "This year was a really bad year! Rice took time to appear! The weather was very hot. I found myself scratched with the weevil. I asked people to please put the rice in the cold or the freezer, which is the best way to conserve rice. In the fridge it holds. The refrigerator is enough!" The same recommendation applies to rice with a shorter shelf life compared to conventional rice. "What's in there? Only preservatives," he says. Unlike yours, more natural and available in the 'white' and 'integral' versions.
On average, it peels about five tons per week, about 20 per month and only rice of its own production. It makes the whole process from production to packaging. The product is stored and peeled to the needs and requirements of catering areas. He only has five-kilo bags. "Plastic is forbidden, isn’t it? Then, done! I only do five kilos, but I can only do one! Do you want a kilo? Then you have to pay for it!"