Want to know the reason Portuguese cafes sell samosas, why you should steer clear of caterpillars, or what the numbers chalked on cork trees mean?

At the start of a summer when all of Portugal seems to be on fire, travel writers Andy and Jack Montgomery swap life in North Tenerife for Portugal. A quest to find somewhere to live moves from a traditional house beside a smugglers’ trail in Alentejo to a converted wine press south of Lisbon; an area where storks nest on abandoned farmhouses and flamingos wade through salt pans. Meanwhile, their work takes them the length and breadth of Portugal, from dining with a count in the Minho and discovering why canal boats have soft porn cartoons on their prows in Portugal’s little Venice to sharing petiscos in a Fado-singing prostitute’s house in Lisbon. Getting to grips with life in Portugal reveals a fascinating land, a friendly people, and an eclectically diverse gastronomy which includes desserts with bizarre names like lard from heaven.

Camel Spit & Cork Trees is a fast-moving travelogue for travellers seeking a vivid depiction of parts of Portugal that still lie below the radar of most visitors.