Discover the food & drink of Portugal

a true taste of the Mediterranean

Experience the best the Med has to offer

The Portuguese love great food and enjoy simple ingredients that are impeccably prepared. Portugal is know for its traditions and rustic seafood cuisine. As you travel around Portugal, you will find many food delicacies that are native to the area where the recipes have been passed through the generations. The city of Porto is stunning and ripe for exploration by food and wine lovers. Lisbon is a bustling cosmopolitan city with new dishes to sample. To the east is the Douro, probably Portugal’s most famous wine destination. The Douro River runs from Porto through the Douro, with terraced vineyards lining the shores. Each of the regions is home to some of the best and most famous Portuguese food.

When in Portugal, we would like to suggest you try some traditional food.

Our top picks of Portugal cuisine

Açorda de Marisco

This simple bread-based seafood stew provides substance and great flavours that many Portuguese families grew up with. Soaked bread is simmered in a sauté of olive oil and garlic and finished with eggs and cilantro (recipes may vary according to region). With healthy handfuls of fresh shellfish including shrimp, cockles, prawns and mussels, the recipe can often change based on what families and restaurants can get their hands on.

Bacalhau

There are more than a 1,000 Bacalhau (salted, dried cod fish) recipes in Portugal’s culinary repertoire. This dish is often enjoyed on social, group occasions including Christmas Eve and birthday celebrations. Bacalhau à Brás is perhaps the most famous bacalhau dish, due in part to Lisbon’s popularity as a tourist destination. It’s a deliciously simple dish that consists of a combination of bacalhau, mixed together with shredded potatoes, eggs, onions, garlic, parsley and topped with olives. It’s rumoured to have originated in the Bairro Alto neighbourhood of Lisbon, by a local Braz. Which is why you’ll sometimes see an alternative spelling Bacalhau à Braz.

Cataplana de Marisco

The Algarve, the southernmost region of Portugal, is fertile with a wide assortment of some of the most delectable fish and shellfish. Cataplana de Marisco is one of the most traditional Portuguese dishes you can find and its ingredients include prawns, clams and chourico sausage. This dish is created using a Cataplana, a vessel shaped like a clam with clasps that ensure moisture doesn’t escape during the cooking process. The food inside (which may include tomatoes, red bell peppers, onions and cilantro) is perfectly steamed, resulting in a dish with eons of flavour. Both the cooking tool—traditionally copper—and the delicious dish are a marvellous creation.

Carne de Porco Alentejana

Carne de Porco Alentejana is Portugal’s version of a surf and turf with a duo of cubed pork and clams. The dishes name, “Alentejana” relates to the origins of the dish and show that the dish comes from the Alentejo region of Portugal. Succulent sautéed pieces of marinated pork work so well with the clams in this dish. All of the ingredients come together in a zesty garlic and wine based broth infused with sweet pepper paste, paprika and fresh chopped cilantro. This dish is often served in restaurants with fried cubed potatoes. It is a great one pot dish to serve for guests.

polvo

Polvo, meaning octopus is one of the most fished species in Portugal. It is extremely popular in Portuguese culture and can be found on menus in a variety of ways—as an appetizer, in salads, in rice, roasted or grilled. Polvo à lagareiro is a common meal on many tables throughout the country, though many claim the dish hails from the Beiras, a strip of land between the South of the Douro River and the North of the Tagus River. Cooking and serving Octopus in a Portugese home is often a sign of a celebration or a return of a family member from the fishing boats.

Pastel de Nata

This little custard tart represents Portugal well around the world and is often instantly recognised as one of Portugal’s most loved treats. The Pastel de Nata is an egg tart that comprises a crisp, flaky pastry filled with sweet custard. With just a few ingredients, perfecting the Pastel de Nata is all about technique. The puff pastry should be made the night before to give it ample opportunity to chill before you press it into the moulds and the custard needs lots and lots of sugar.