What to try in Portugal: traditional cuisine and food. Cuisine of Portugal Traditional Portuguese

Unique compositions of aromatic spices give fish and meat a special Lisbon chic. Spicy chorizo sausages will appeal to spicy lovers. Sprinkles of paprika and garlic are a clear reminder of how passionate these people are, even when it comes to food. The country's cuisine is original in its originality. Vegetables served whole are an easy side dish: healthy carrots, nutritious beans or tender cauliflower. Chickpeas, rice and spinach are frequent guests on the table.

The five most commonly used ingredients in recipes are:

The South Coast diet is a case of combining simple ingredients to produce amazing results. Fans of a balanced diet are also recommended to prepare delicious masterpieces. The lunch ritual ends with dessert, Portuguese style. The variety of airy mousses, pastels and macaroons amazes the imagination of experienced confectioners. Cooking in Portugal is a good chance to feel with all your heart the spirit of this country that yearns for its former greatness.

When leaving for Portugal, I naively believed that I would lose weight, because the country is seaside! “So I’ll have lunch with light dishes of fish and shellfish, and dinner with fruit and wine,” I thought. Who knew that here, in addition to seafood, a hundred varieties of cakes and puddings were insidiously waiting for me in every cafe window and hearty portions of meat dishes and potatoes in the restaurant? In general, the range of dishes turned out to be much wider and more multifaceted than I could have imagined.

Kitchen features

If I were asked to briefly describe Portuguese cuisine, I would say that it is simple and intricate, sweet and salty, healthy and unhealthy. In general, really contrasting. For example, dishes made from healthy boiled or baked sea fish with fatty and high-calorie stews of sausages, pork and beans are equally popular.

Another example is Portuguese puree soups. They take only 20 minutes to prepare and are much healthier than our cabbage soup or borscht. At the same time, another national dish, cod in cream sauce, takes more than a day to prepare! But calling this high-calorie fish and potatoes dish healthy is unlikely to be correct.

Portuguese cuisine is Mediterranean. It is based on wine, bread and olive oil. The Portuguese are proud of these products, and in any supermarket and at any price they will be of the highest quality.

The cuisine has been influenced by other countries over time. For example, during the famous Age of Discovery, tomatoes and potatoes were included. In addition, the Portuguese love Indian spices.

Most of all dishes, of course, are fish. The fish here is very tasty and fresh, it is prepared in different ways: in the oven, in a frying pan and on the grill. The most beloved fish among the people is cod. There are so many options for its preparation that in Portugal they say that you can cook cod every day for a year without ever repeating it. I don’t think even the Portuguese know exactly how many options there are for preparing it.

Traditional dishes on the continent

Traditional Portuguese dishes are widely known, if not throughout the world, then certainly in Europe. This is, of course, cod, which here is called bacalhau, in hundreds of its culinary incarnations, stews with beans, giblets and sausages, cod pies, paste de nata cakes.”

However, I advise you to take into account that different regions of Portugal have their own special dishes. Honestly, for me, traditional food is a good way to learn about the history and culture of the Portuguese people. For example, the love for grilled sardines in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, was not born by chance.

The preparation of this fish is a special tradition on All Saints' Day, Santos Populares. And the most famous dish in the city - a stew of pork and beef offal tripash - gave its name to the entire city population. Residents of the northern capital are called “tripeirush”, that is, “lovers of tripe”.

Baked cod bacalhau

As I already said, this is the most typical fish for Portuguese cuisine and its symbol. Unlike, for example, Japanese sushi, which, contrary to stereotypes, is not the everyday food of the Japanese, cod is a truly folk fish. I understood this immediately when I entered the first Lisbon supermarket. In a place of honor in any Portuguese “super market” hang huge salted cod carcasses, which people eagerly take apart.

By the way, the tradition of preserving fish in this way comes from ancient times, when fishermen salted their catch in order to bring it to the continent as edible. Before cooking, the fish must be soaked in water for a day.

Some of the most popular types of cod are cod in creamy bacalhau de nata sauce, cod with cornbread, cod a brasse with potatoes and olives, and cod Braga.

Grilled fish

Another national dish, grilled fish is loved throughout Portugal. However, as I have already said, Lisbon residents have a special love for this fish. It was a rare summer day in the center of Lisbon without one of my neighbors frying this fish on an electric grill or coals.

The national cuisine of Portugal, over many centuries, was created by peasants and fishermen. Therefore, most dishes are easy to prepare, satisfying and mainly consist of fish, seafood, and vegetables. It is worth noting that the Portuguese are very proud of their national cuisine and are very responsible when it comes to eating. Just look at the fact that from 12:30 to 13:30 practically all institutions and offices close, and the whole country sits down to have lunch. And after two o'clock in the afternoon, in restaurants and cafes, you can only see tourists and foreigners. In addition, each region has its own local recipes for preparing dishes that are quite unusual for us. And now, a little more about what tourists and travelers who are in this beautiful and hospitable country need to taste.

Since ancient times, the main source of income for local residents was fishing and navigation. This is not surprising, because half of the country’s territory is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the favorite dishes of the Portuguese are prepared from fish and seafood. From just one cod, local chefs can prepare 365 delicious dishes (one dish for every day of the year). Interesting fact: each Portuguese eats 16 kilograms of cod per year, although it is not found in local latitudes; it is brought from Norway. Also used for cooking are sardines, perch, trout, tuna, mackerel, octopus, shellfish, crabs...

Here are just some fish dishes from Portuguese cuisine:

"Bacalhau" - dried salted cod, with a side dish of Turkish peas. In addition, bacalhau is a component of many dishes.
"Bacalhau a bras" - fried pieces of salted cod with potatoes, onions and eggs.
"robola" - fried wolf perch.
“Caldeirada” is a fish soup puree.
"lapas" - fried shellfish.
"crab croquettes".
"crab pate".
« Captain Vidal's crying fish"- fish soup, which is cooked from still living fish, with the addition of butter, onions, peppers, and potatoes.
“Cataplana” is a fish soup made from several types of fish and seafood.
Tamboril is a monkfish dish.
« Arroche de Marisco"- rice prepared in a special way, with seafood (similar to Spanish paella).
« kreme de marishkush» - thick seafood soup.
« ameijoas a ballao pato"(kiss with a shell) - a dish of boiled mussels, coriander, olive oil, garlic and white wine.
“Salada de polvu” - octopus salad.

But Portuguese cuisine is famous not only for fish dishes. I bring to your attention a few more dishes that clearly characterize the national cuisine:

Portuguese cuisine is rich in sweet desserts. Tourists from all over Europe come to taste Portuguese sweets. Numerous confectionery shops and coffee shops offer a wide selection of desserts made from milk, sugar, eggs, rice, cinnamon, vanilla, figs, almonds, coconut... Do not deny yourself the pleasure of enjoying such “goodies” as:

« macaroons with sour cream.”
"almond nougat"
"sweet almond balls"
"nun cookies"
"grandson's treat"
"heavenly cake"
"Belensky cake"
“egg yolks in powdered sugar” (“ovos moles”).

It is impossible to imagine the national cuisine of Portugal without the famous port wine, of which it is the birthplace. This is a fortified wine that is produced in the north of the country, in the Douro River valley. Port wine goes well with any national dish. In addition, the wines of the island of Madeira have long gained worldwide fame - “ Verdelho", "Sercial", "Blandy", "Bual", "Miles", "Likosh". Such wine-growing regions of the country as Vinho Verde, Bairrada, Colares, Alentejo, Dan and others are famous for their high-quality wines. For stronger drinks, it is worth trying Almendo Amarga liqueur « , cherry liqueur "Ginjinha" « and vodka made from the fruits of the strawberry tree - “ Aguaridiente de metronho« . For beer lovers, I recommend the excellent Portuguese beer “Coral” « .
Welcome to hospitable Portugal and bon appetit everyone!

Restaurants
Eating at home
Supermarkets
Markets

Portuguese cuisine is little known outside the country. In Moscow, you can try it in only 2 restaurants according to the Afisha website, while there are about a thousand restaurants serving Italian cuisine, and 20 Spanish ones. In general, it is generally accepted that Portugal is almost Spain, but more shabby and wild, and Portuguese The cuisine is very reminiscent of Spanish.

Of course, this is not true. The Portuguese even have a proverb that “do not expect either good wind or a good wife from Spain” - this is how they try to abstract themselves from their large and popular neighbor. Well, the food in Portugal is absolutely original and very, very tasty.

If you are going to stay in a hotel, you cannot do without breakfast. Typically, breakfast includes coffee, juice, fresh bread with butter, cheese and ham, sweet pastries and fruit.

Moreover, ordinary Portuguese eat the same way. On our trip, we rented an apartment, which in fact turned out to be the first floor of the villa, and the owners themselves lived above us. Every morning Mama Maria served us a wonderful breakfast on the veranda overlooking the mountains.

And every morning a new pie or sweet pastry awaited us. We ate half of the breakfast, and the other half went to the hosts.

Breakfasts in apartments are easy to organize according to the same principle; fortunately, baked goods can be bought at the nearest store or in a cafe. The cost of one bun-cake is unlikely to be more than 1-2 euros.

In mid-June, a lot of fruits and berries are sold in Portugal: cherries, strawberries, peaches, apricots, melons, watermelons. A wonderful breakfast, lunch dessert or snack with an evening glass of wine or port.

Be sure to try local cheeses (especially Sierra sheep, soft inside), nuts and dried fruits. There is no need to cook them, but satiety and pleasure are guaranteed.

To prepare a complete meal, you need to visit your local supermarket, hypermarket or market. Keep in mind that most shops close at 8 and some are closed on Sundays. Markets, especially specialized ones, generally operate several days a week.

It is believed that the products on the market are better and fresher, but if there is no market, don’t worry, store-bought vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, and cheeses are still an order of magnitude better than what Russian stores offer.

Well, if you are lucky and there is still a market - enjoy, communicate, bargain :)

The Portuguese look very lean, but sweets are sold at every turn.

In general, it is interesting that roadside trade is developed throughout the country. You grow cherries, stand on the side of the road under an umbrella and sell them, just like in Russia.

Even at attractions (in the photo below, for example, the exit from the Templar monastery in Tomar) there are stalls with fruits and sweets.

And here, in the center of Obidos, a restaurant sells oranges.

If you are too lazy to organize meals yourself, numerous cafes, restaurants, bars, and pastry shops are at your service.

The ideal breakfast is coffee and a couple of sweet buns.

The choice is so dizzying!

If you were suddenly planning to lose weight in Portugal, forget it. And if you think you don’t like sweets, try it. And you will change your mind.

Interestingly, every city is famous for its sweets. That is, they are offered throughout the country, but the canonical taste will only be in certain places.

For example, you can only try trou pateli (puff pastry baskets with baked custard) in one pastry shop in the Belem district of Lisbon. The secret of their baking, as usual, is known only by one master and, partly, by his three students; everything is made and baked by hand. Every day Pastel de Belém sells ten thousand pastels, attracting a crowd of tourists.

But if standing in line for a couple of hours for a cake is not for you, try them somewhere else. We ate pastels almost every day, some were simply good, and some were brilliant.

Another local culinary attraction is the curicos from Ericeira. They are made by a small confectionery called Casa Da Fernando on the Atlantic coast. Visually, they look like small cupcakes, but the taste has nothing to compare with - something from custard, pudding, creme brulee... You have to try it!

The same confectionery also sells other pastries that are also worthy of attention. By the way, in pastry shops you can always consume goodies with coffee on the spot or buy them to take away.

If we've sorted out breakfast, then it's time for lunch. Here travelers are in for an unpleasant discovery - most of the real restaurants are closed from 14-00 to 19-00, and if not, then the place is very, very touristy (for example, there are many of them in Porto and Lisbon, but much less in other cities).

At this time, you can count on sweets (but they were already for breakfast), junk food (sandwiches, burgers with potatoes) or set meals (menu in Portuguese).

Such food does not bring pleasure, but it can fill you up.

Sometimes, however, everything may not be bad at all. For example, in the center of Obidos we were offered vegetable soup, salad, hot sandwiches and burgers. Quite healthy food if you don't have fries.

It was impossible to eat steak or fish at this time.

It is customary to drink in Portugal during lunchtime. A common picture: people sitting at tables and drinking... water, juice, beer, wine, tea and coffee.

How you can drink and not eat is a mystery. But by 19-00 the appetite will probably work out in earnest.

In the evening, people flock to restaurants. It's nice that locals visit such places along with tourists. Pensioners while away the hours in coffee shops, young people hang out in bars, families come to dine and watch football in the restaurant.

Food intake begins with starters. Keep in mind, they are often delivered without warning and then added to the bill. If you don't want to pay the extra 5-7 euros, you can refuse them. It turned out that the default starters were tasteless, but those ordered independently went with a bang. Usually it was bread, cheese, olives.

Fried black pudding was not brought at our request. Very fatty and unpresentable, but edible.

The choice of salads in Portugal is not amazing: usually it’s a salad with tomatoes and onions, as well as the classic Cesat and mixed salad (an incompatible mix of grass, carrots, corn, fish, eggs, etc.)

Each restaurant will offer you 2-3 types of soup. Most often it will be cream of vegetables, caldo verde and fish soup.

Caldo verde is a Portuguese classic. This is thick green cabbage soup with potatoes, Portuguese cabbage and spicy chorizo sausages.

Cream soups are common, but they are often served cold, apparently due to the hot climate. Pumpkin, shallots, carrots, tomatoes - the Portuguese prepare soups from any vegetables. In the menu, such a soup will be called sopa del dia, that is, soup of the day.

Fish soups sopa de peixe and caldeirada are not served everywhere, but you should definitely try them. They contain several varieties of fish, seafood, and vegetables, so the soups are rich and thick, sometimes also with the structure of a cream soup.

By the way, portions of soups in Portugal are normal, in contrast to the frightening size of main dishes.

Since “lunch” in Portugal begins at 7 pm, and the ocean coast is located on the western edge of the mainland, it is very common to watch the sunset while eating.

Of course, prices in specialty restaurants are higher, but there is a chance that communication with waiters and menus will be in English. Surprisingly, but true: the Portuguese speak very little and very little English; French, Spanish, and Italian are much more widespread.

The breadth of the Spanish soul (and stomach) is evident in the main courses. And, yes, Portugal is not only about fish, it is also very much about meat.

Almost anywhere you can find meat dishes from veal, pork, lamb, chicken. Rest assured, they will not disappoint you.

Small-piece meat is usually stewed for a long time with vegetables and spices and served with gravy and side dishes (rice, potatoes - crumpled, in their jackets, fries). But the kings among meat dishes are steaks. In Portugal, you won’t be asked about the degree of doneness of meat, because there is only one. Correct;)

Almost everywhere you can try grilled sardines. Sardines are a cheap fish; they used to be considered the food of the poor, and even now they are one of the most affordable fish dishes.

It is not gutted, just salted, fried over an open fire and served with potatoes and salad. Simple and delicious.

A classic fish is cod (codfish, bacalao). Heavily salted and dried carcasses are soaked and fried, stewed, cooked in batter and marinated. Not brilliant, but definitely worth a try.

And, of course, on the menu you will always find sea bream, swordfish, monkfish, sea bass, and turbot. In fish restaurants, you will be asked to choose the carcass you like, weigh it, agree on the price, and cook it in the best possible way.

If after the starters, soup and main course you are still full of energy, feel free to order dessert. Most likely, these will be pastels and other incredible layered masterpieces, as well as ice cream, sorbets, creme brulee, and mousses.

And coffee. Coffee in Portugal is a truly pleasant revelation, inexpensive and very good. So, a cup of espresso costs 1 euro or less, and a cup of excellent cappuccino with natural milk, plus or minus 2 euros.

Finally, I would like to note that Portuguese cuisine is another attraction that is worth paying close attention to when exploring the country.

Bon appetit and gastronomic discoveries!

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For me, the culture of the place where I go is transmitted, including, and sometimes primarily, through food. And it often happens that the simpler the food, the tastier it is. It’s not for nothing that all the forums for travelers advise going to those cafes where the “natives” go. Sometimes it is not easy to get used to the local cuisine. Indian, Vietnamese, and some even French cooking may not be to their liking or liking. But not trying what everyone around you is eating is also quite difficult. In Portugal, food is quite simple. Even with 2-6 euros a day you won’t go hungry. Don't believe me? And this is true.

So what is the basis of Portuguese cuisine?

Buying food at the market

To understand what you can eat in Portugal, you need to look at the local market. My hotel in Porto was not far from the city market, where I went to buy fruits and vegetables. Look at the counter, of course it's greens! All kinds of salads and cabbage.

We eat octopus and fish in small local cafes

Undoubtedly, Portugal, as a maritime country, cannot do without fish and seafood in its menu. For those who can afford a little more, octopus, squid, oysters and other marine life are available.

The simplest preparation is simply grilled with salt and lemon. As we read and then saw with our own eyes, the most popular dish in Portugal prepared in this way is sardines. Moreover, in Porto they were much more impressive than their Lisbon relatives (these “fry” below are precisely Lisbon).

A little more complicated - stew with potatoes. For example, they prepare cod, which can be found in every cafe. At the same time, sardines and beans, as you see in the photograph, are an ordinary worker’s lunch in a very ordinary cafe.

Trying smoked meats and meats

Of course the Portuguese eat meat. And smoked meats of all types, shapes and fillings are presented in variety in markets and butcher shops.

The Portuguese love soup and so do we.

The most popular dish among the local population is soup. There are basically two options. Cabbage and vegetable. The latter will also be half cabbage. Depending on the status of the establishment, the type and ingredients of the soup will differ. At the restaurant in Obidos, the cabbage soup was thin, almost just broth, but with a slice of jamon. But in a simple cafe there was so much cabbage in the soup that the spoon did not sink, but instead of jamon there was a piece of smoked sausage.

And this soup costs 1-2 euros. At lunchtime, the counters in all the cafes are filled with workers and clerks, and everyone eats soup and bread. Local bread is very cheap. The simplest bun costs 10 cents. Every time we went to a cafe for coffee, we saw local pensioners buying espresso and a bun, which they carefully cut into 2 pieces.

Portuguese coffee

The coffee in Portugal is the best I've ever had. And the cheapest. 70 cents!

And it’s impossible to refuse local baked goods! Yellow as the sun itself that illuminates this country. They put a lot of eggs in the baked goods, and they become incredibly tasty.

Paste is the most important thing, you have to try it

Paste is a traditional Portuguese dessert. And it's very tasty. Puff puff pastry and custard. When they are warm and freshly baked, it is absolutely incomparable. And there is no need to give any addresses, they are really tasty everywhere. Even at Lisbon airport.

I usually write down the addresses of cafes where I can eat delicious food in advance, mainly from the Lonely Planet guide. The crisis, which has now reached Portugal, has affected many inexpensive establishments, and they have closed. Nevertheless, everywhere we went along the way it was tasty, simple and not very expensive. The main thing is not to be embarrassed by the simplicity of the establishment.