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  1. Tourism
  2. Cuisine and Wines
  3. Fish and Seafood

Percebes (Goose barnacles)

The coast of Mafra Municipality is rich in this species of crustacean, which requires choppy and clean water in order to grow on a rocky base. Sunlight is also essential for its growth, together with rain water.

The harvesting of goose barnacles, although risky and laborious, is a source of sustenance for innumerable families involved in this regulated activity, subject to close supervision, which guarantees the preservation of the species, on one hand, and the product’s quality, on the other.

Some prefer them cold, but true specialists declare that goose barnacles must be served hot, after cooking them in sea water. 

Ribamar and Ericeira are the places where it is possible to find restaurants with the tastiest goose barnacles.