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Love for Copper
Analise Carmo
•Algarve
The sound of the hammer shaping copper once again echoes through Loulé. Master Analise, who started in the workshop at the age of 12, saw his craft disappear over time. But he didn't let it be lost. Now retired, he took on the challenge of reviving a trade that once gave life to the city.
Today, the workshop is once again active, with hands that learn and continue the tradition. From his tools, the iconic copper cataplana is reborn – a unique piece, made to measure. “It gives the food another flavour,” says with pride those who know the secret of the metal and the fire.
At Octant Praia Verde, this tradition lives on the table, where the flavours of Algarve are revealed within a cataplana forged by time and mastery.
Analise was born in 1948 in Loulé.
At just 12 years old, he began working in a copper workshop, a once-thriving trade in his hometown. He crafted boilers for cork processing and medronho distillation, among other utilitarian objects. Over time, he left the workshop and pursued a career at Cimpor. But after retiring—and with all of Loulé’s copper workshops having closed—he was challenged to revive the craft. By 2015, no one in the city was working with copper anymore. So Analise picked up his tools once again. He began teaching, passing on his skills, and restoring a tradition that had almost disappeared. Today, four artisans continue the trade in the workshop, ensuring its future. His hammered copper cataplana, made to order, has become legendary. “It gives the food a different flavour,” says Master Analise, with pride.