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Couvert: I promised this in my last post
One of the little surprises the Portuguese have for we travellers is couvert. Most of us interpret the word as 'cover' or a cover charge, but it is different here. When you sit down in any Portuguese restaurant (big, formal or small) it is almost certain that the waiter will bring a one or more small plates to your table without your ordering them. This is couvert.
Couvert differs from place to place but essentially it is bread, cheese, salmon paste, sliced cooked carrots (cold) and a healthy dose of olives. The idea is to provide you with something to chew on until your main course arrives. It is very inviting and your first urge is to start eating these tempting morsels (nothing like spread on bread followed by olives).
What you need to know is that you can politely ask the waiter to remove the couvert or inform them ahead of time that you don't want it. Why? Because they are going to charge you somewhere between 2 and 3 euros if you begin to eat it. In that sense it is a cover charge, but one you need not accept. Starting to eat it indicates that you want it and will pay for it.
Personally I love the practice and almost always gobble it down; especially the olives that I don't eat at home (too fattening).
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