Love good food? Adore good wine? Portugal is an exceptional destination for both. This is a classic wine growing nation, loved the world over for its superb wines and fortified wines. Because it has such a long coastline Portuguese cuisine all about the fish and seafood, as fresh as a fresh thing. They love their meats too, and their traditional desserts are to die for. So what’s on the menu for foodies and boozers? Let’s eat!
Exploring Portuguese cuisine
The oldest Portuguese cookery book goes way back to the 1500s, called Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal. Because the country has been invaded so many times, fought over for centuries, the food comes with a wide range of influences, everything from Celtic to French, Mediterranean and Moorish.
As world-class navigators and sailors, the Portuguese created a thriving trade in exotic spices from the East Indies, Africa, and the Americas, giving the food an unusually wide variety and plenty of powerful flavours. Fiery little piri piri chilli peppers, pepper itself, saffron, paprika, clove, allspice, cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg all enhance the country’s meals, along with delights like vanilla pods, lemons and oranges, aniseed and cloves. Add popular ingredients like garlic, onions, bay, parsley, oregano, thyme, mint, marjoram, rosemary and coriander to the mix and you can see why Portugal’s traditional dishes are so wonderfully flavourful.
Pork and beef are particularly popular, as is fish, and seafoods like lobster, crab, shrimps, prawns, octopus, scallops, clams, limpets and even barnacles make great eating prepared the Portuguese way. They’re the world’s fourth-biggest fish eating nation and eat more of it than any other EU country. Think grilled, boiled, poached, simmered, fried, stewed, baked, roasted and steamed fish, and you get the picture.
Like the UK they have numerous kinds of bread as well as beautiful local cheeses classified in a unique way. Curado is matured cheese, Queijo fresco is fresh cheese, Cabra from goats, Ovelha from sheep and Vaca cheese from cows. Don’t miss delights like Azeitao cheese, quejo de Cabra Transmontano, Nisa, Pico and Evora, just a few of many traditional cheese varieties.
Olive oil is big in Portugal too, classified depending on how acidic it is. Some are for cooking only, while virgin and extra virgin varieties are poured generously over meat, fish and veg for rich, complex flavours.
Enjoy a gorgeous Portuguese breakfast
Wake up, wander out into the glorious sunshine and treat yourself to a Portuguese breakfast of fragrant fresh bread smothered in real butter with ham, cheese or jam, along with a wonderfully strong coffee, tea or hot choc. Sweet pastries are an exciting alternative to cereal, but when they eat cereal it’s often embellished with fresh fruit and yoghurt. That’ll set you up for a day of adventures!
Leisurely lunches and dinners in Portugal
Lunch is a leisurely affair, so take time to savour it. The same goes for dinner. Both lunches and evening meals can run to three courses, including a hearty soup. Caldo verde is particularly tasty, packed with pureed, potato, onion, garlic and cabbage goodness and sometimes including slices of spicy sausage. Salted cod is a big favourite too, one of literally hundreds of cod dishes. Fantastic desserts include caramel custard and chocolate mousse, crème brûlée and rice pudding with cinnamon. Then there’s the famous pastel de nata, a little custard tart sprinkled with cinnamon.
Beautifully boozy treats, Portugal-style
Wine comes in red and white but they’re not that keen on rose wines. Vinho verde, slightly sparkling so-called ‘green’ wines, can be any colour. The point is they’re only made in the north western Minho area and are made to be drunk when young rather than matured. Their opposite, maduro wines, are matured. And then there’s Port, the fortified wine that’s a lot like Madeira, rich and deeply-flavoured. It’s mostly made in the Douro region and goes perfectly with sweet foods.
They’ve been drinking beer here since Roman times, and there’s even a Beer Museum in Lisbon. Powerful brandies and amazing liqueurs complete the picture, including Licor Beirão, Ginjinha, and medronho made from strawberry tree fruit, a bit like a strawberry but grown on a little evergreen tree native to the Med.
Warning – do NOT resist these dishes!
Here are some of the best-loved Portuguese meals, every one a delight not to be missed.
Take Carne De Porco à Alentejana, blending pork, clams and potatoes, white vinegar, bay leaves, olive oil and garlic to supremely tasty effect. Or Bacalhau à Brás, a masterpiece in salted cod, straw potatoes and eggs, all stir-fried to creamy perfection.
Açorda soup uses up stale bread, delivering a gorgeous flavour made using garlic, salt, coriander, olive oil and black pepper served with a poached egg on top and drizzled with olive oil. Fritter fans enjoy Bolinhos de Bacalhau, salted cod fish marvels made using the fish itself, spuds, egg, onion, fresh parsley and seasoning.
Is your mouth watering yet? There’s more. The robust flavours of Porto are celebrated in the rich, complex dish called Francesinha, a buttie with a difference. Filled with generous layers of ham, sausage and steak smothered in melted cheese and a hearty tomato and beer sauce, it’s usually served with a side dish of chips. Or ‘fries’, depending how posh you are 😉
You’ll adore Arroz de pato, created using rice, duck and aromatic herbs like garlic and bay, and the octopus dish called Polvo, consisting of perfectly-baked octopus with mash or roasties. Bifanas make a hearty snack, perfect for lunch, a symphony of pork slices poached in paprika and white wine, served with hot Piri Piri and mustard sauce.
Not for the squeamish but totally delish, the national dish Cozido à Portuguesa involves boiled potatoes, carrot, cabbage, pig’s feet, pig’s ears and sausages. If you can handle it try Caracois, a recipe involving snails in garlic, onions and olive oil, often served with hot Piri Piri sauce and oregano.
For fish aficionados an all-time classic dish is grilled sardines, a summer treat loved by everyone in the peak sardine season from June to August, happily coinciding with the peak tourist months. Lovers of legumes adore Feijoada, a rich bean stew with pork and beef, veg, cloves, paprika and bay, served in a bowl and accompanied by rice or bread. Broa corn bread is particularly yummy, a slightly sweet cornmeal loaf with a crispy cracked exterior cooked in a steamy oven.
Pulled pork comes to mind when you savour the magic of Leitão Assado, piglet meat seasoned with garlic, pepper and salt then slow-roasted to turn the skin crisp and the meat falls off the bones. Then there’s Cataplana de Marisco, a feast of seafood unlike any other enriched with tomatoes, onions, and spices, all simmered gently to perfection.
And that’s just the start of an adventure into cuisine that’ll have your taste buds singing at every meal. If you only go for the food, a holiday to Portugal is worth every second and every pound. We wish you many, many extraordinary taste sensations.
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