Portuguese food and cuisine
Briony Stephenson presents the hidden delights of Portuguese cuisine.
Despite the lasting influence it has had on food from as far afield as Macau and Goa, Portuguese cuisine is vastly underrepresented outside of Portugal. Often confused with Spanish cuisine, it is, in fact, quite different. At its best, Portuguese food is simple ingredients impeccably prepared. Based on regional products, with an emphasis on fish, meat, olive oil, tomato and spices, it features hearty soups, homemade bread and cheeses, as well as unexpected combinations of meat and seafood.
For a relatively small nation, Portugal has a surprising gastronomic variety. The Extremadura region, which includes Lisbon, is famous for its seafood – the Cascais fish market, on the outskirts of the capital, is one of the largest in the country – while the production of cold meats and cheeses elsewhere adds another dimension to the national cuisine. The Algarve, the last region of Portugal to achieve independence from the Moors, and located at the gates of North Africa, contributes to a centuries-old tradition of almond and fig sweets.
Traditional Portuguese food is characterized by fish. In fact, the Portuguese have a long history of absorbing the culinary traditions of other peoples. The Age of Discovery was fueled by a desire for exotic spices, and ever since Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India in the early 16th century, they have proven enormously popular. Peri-peri, a Brazilian spice transplanted to former African colonies, is used to flavor chicken and shrimp. Goan curry spices are common condiments. These spices are generally used sparingly, adding subtle flavor and depth to dishes. It is these influences that have helped make Portuguese food so markedly different from that of other Mediterranean countries and today in Lisbon there are dozens of restaurants specializing in the cuisines of the old empire, as well as Brazilian-style juice bars. , which offer drinks and ice cream. cream made from exotic fruits.
However, if there is something that characterizes traditional Portuguese food, it is fish. From common anchovies to swordfish, sole, sea bream, sea bass and salmon, the markets and menus reveal all of Portugal’s passion for seafood. In Portugal, even a fish burger bought on the street is full of flavour. Bacalhau, salted cod, is the Portuguese fish and is said to be the basis of some 365 recipes, one for each day of the year. Two dishes are particularly notable. Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá, essentially a casserole of cod, potatoes and onions, is a Porto specialty and is considered perhaps the best bacalhau recipe in Portugal. From Extremadura comes the bacalhau á bràs, scrambled eggs with salted cod, potatoes and onion.
Seafood, including clams (amêijoas) and mussels (mexilhões), are also of high quality. Crab and squid are often stuffed, and lulas recheadas à lisbonense (Lisbon-style stuffed squid) is a great example of Portuguese seafood. Visitors to Lisbon can find traditional shops on the docks selling snails (caracóis).
There are also many options for meat lovers. Espetada, grilled beef skewers with garlic, is popular, as is suckling pig (leitão). Cozido à Portuguesa, a one-course meal of beef, pork, sausage and vegetables, reflects the ingenuity of traditional cooking. A rather more unusual combination is pork and clams from the porco à alentejana (Alentejo-style pork). Pork is also cooked with mussels na cataplana, with the wok-style cataplana sealing in the flavors. Meanwhile, the city of Porto boasts tripa à moda do Porto (porto-style gut), supposedly a legacy from the days of Prince Henry the Navigator, when the city was left with nothing but tripe after providing food to the infant ships. To this day, the natives of Porto are known as tripeiros or tripe eaters.
Roasted chicken (frango grelhado), seasoned with peri-peri, garlic, and/or olive oil, is one of the few things that has made its mark outside of Portugal, where it can be found in cities with large Portuguese populations. Highly aromatic peri-peri chicken is often served in specialty restaurants.
Portuguese food: a hidden treasure. Soups form an integral part of traditional cuisine, with all kinds of vegetables, fish, and meat used to create a variety of soups, stews, and soups. Caldo verde (literally green broth), made from a kale-like cabbage soup thickened with potato and containing a slice of salpicão or chouriço, originally from the northern province of Minho but now considered a national dish. Along with canja de galinha (chicken broth), caldo verde is a hearty, comforting, and ubiquitous favorite. For the more adventurous, the caldeirada de lulas à madeirense (Madeira-style squid stew) features a distinctively Portuguese combination of seafood, curry and ginger. Another typical dish is açorda, where vegetables or seafood are added to thick rustic bread to create a ‘dry’ soup.
Those with a sweet tooth may be interested to know that one of Portugal’s best-kept culinary secrets is its wide and distinctive array of desserts, cakes, and pastries. A staple of restaurant menus is the chocolate mousse, richer, denser and smoother than foreign versions, while other favorites include arroz doce, a lemon-cinnamon flavored rice pudding. The most famous sweets, however, are the rich cakes made from egg yolk and sugar, influenced by Moorish cuisine and perfected by the nuns of Guimerães in the 16th century. For a unique Portuguese experience, the visitor should head to a pasteleria (or confeitaria), where the many varieties of cakes and other sweets are served, as well as savory delicacies such as bolinhas de bacalhau, codfish balls. The Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, where the legendary pastéis de nata, delicious tarts filled with custard, are baked, is a highlight of Lisbon. Nearby Sintra has its own traditional pastry, Sintra queijadas (a type of cheesecake), which street vendors sell in six-packs.
The Portuguese attitude towards food is simple and imaginative, traditional and inventive. Above all, enjoying good food and the social aspects of eating out is an important part of everyday life. From casual cafes to world-class restaurants, all budgets and occasions are catered for. Small cafes and taverns abound, often nothing more than holes in the wall. The opportunity to sample this largely unknown cuisine in all its variety is one of the true rewards of visiting Portugal.
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