Sunrise over misty Portland
As inhabitants of a city regularly touted as the best place to eat in North America, you might well expect Portlanders to boast of regional celebrity chefs and flashy awardwinning restaurants. But ask a true local to name what really sets their city apart and they’ll probably point east towards the Hood River Valley, or west in the direction of the Pacific Ocean. Portland’s food reputation is built not on brands but on access to fresh, flavourful ingredients. It’s enviably situated at the northern end of the Willamette Valley, which has soils and a climate suited to growing a dizzying array of crops, from hops and grapes to peppermint and pears. Meanwhile, local rivers, lakes and coast yield fabulous fish and seafood.
And if that’s not enough, eastern Oregon’s rugged high-desert plains are ideal for raising livestock and growing grains. With inexpensive and easy access to ingredients such as these, Portland has given rise to a flourishing food scene, which now includes 20 farmers’ markets and 500 street food stalls, not to mention countless artisan producers and adventurous neighbourhood restaurants. The result: a bona fide gastronome’s Eden.