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Ra-Ro Journal
Rare Stories
Stories, news and behind the scenes of Portuguese craft. What’s happening in the workshops, at the fairs and at Ra-Ro.
Hammered copper: what it is, how it is made, how to clean it and why the cataplana is copper
Hammered copper is sheet copper shaped by hand, blow by blow. How it is made, why it is the metal of the cataplana and how to clean it without damaging it.
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Empreita, palm and esparto: what they are and how they differ
Empreita is the braid made from dwarf palm leaves, sewn into baskets, bags and hats. Esparto is a tougher grass, used for rugs, heavy baskets and rope.
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Medronho: what Portugal's strawberry tree brandy is, how it is made and how to drink it
Medronho is made from the fruit of the strawberry tree, picked by hand in autumn, fermented and distilled in copper stills. How it is made, how to drink it and how to choose one.
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Portuguese handicrafts: a guide to traditional techniques by region and where to buy online
A guide to Portuguese handicrafts by region: black pottery and figurines from the Minho, Cobertor de Papa blankets and burel from the inland mountains, esparto, palm and copper from the Algarve, ba...
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Bitter honey from the strawberry tree: what it is and how to use it
Portuguese bitter honey is strawberry tree honey, made in autumn and winter in the southern hills. I explain why it is bitter and rare, where it comes from, how it tastes and how to use it.
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Rainy nights in Portugal: mead, bitter honey and wool blankets
Heather honey mead, bitter honey from the Algarve and a cobertor de papa from Maçainhas: the Ra‑Ro winter kit for the first rainy nights, with serving tips, wool care and Christmas gift ideas.
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What makes a piece rare? How rarity is measured in handmade crafts
What makes a handmade piece rare? I explain the criteria we use (how many hands still make it, technique, time, raw material) and the five levels of the Ra‑Ro Index, with real examples.
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Palm leaf bag from Tavira: the hands that still go to the fields
Fifty years ago in Tavira, farmers made their own palm leaf baskets. This bag comes from that tradition, made by the hands of AECT's artisans.
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Between the machine and the wait: Isidoro Ramos's barreleira
An esparto basket for the laundry that waited for the barrela. Isidoro Ramos, from Paderne, makes the barreleira with the empreita his grandmother and mother taught him.
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The Algarve beyond the beach: what to see and which crafts to take home
Beyond the beaches, the real Algarve: the caves of Lagos, the Ria Formosa, the end of the world at Sagres and Moorish Silves. Plus regional esparto and copper to take home.
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Hammered Copper Cataplana: the slow fire of the Algarve, shaped by hand
Handmade by Nuno Palma in Cachopo, the hammered copper cataplana is traditional coppersmithing from the Algarve. Discover the craft and the piece.
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Hammered Copper Plate: the metal reborn in the hands of a young man from Loulé
Nuno Palma, from Loulé, is rescuing the art of hammered copper: he cuts, softens in the fire, shapes and hardens with the hammer, scrubs with sand and polishes by hand.
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November Selection
