trying new foods is all part and parcel of the experience of traveling. exploring new culinary styles, sampling seasonal produce, and checking out local restaurants helps you immerse yourself in the culture of the place you’re visiting.
In this article, I’ll focus on standard Portuguese foods to give you an idea about the new taste sensations you can expect when travelling to Portugal.
As fun and interesting as trying new foods might be, some travellers understandably become a bit overwhelmed with the possibilities, not to mention those times when you’re not sure what that particular thing on the menu actually is!
More often than not, language barriers make it tough to ask for clarification on ingredients or preparation.
Whenever I’m travelling to a new destination, I love meeting locals who can take me to their favorite restaurants and help me order; this way, I can try out the food at a non-touristy location and still know what I’m eating.
However, it’s not always possible to have a local guide, in which case, some prior research can help you feel a lot more confident in your culinary choices and ecstatic for the new foods you’ll get to discover.
Portugal is one of the best countries for food, learn why in this article.
Here’s my guide to trying the tasty foods in Portugal.
Table of Contents
What Are Portuguese Foods?
10 best Portuguese Foods to Try
Portugal Foodie Experiences
Tips For eating in Portugal
Portuguese Foods FAQ’s
Now You know What To eat in Portugal
What Are Portuguese Foods?
Portuguese cuisine has a similar style to Mediterranean fare and uses seafood in lots of of the signature dishes. combine the salty flavors of the Atlantic ocean with olive oil and fragrant spices and herbs, and you’re set for a delicious Portuguese meal.
Traditional Portuguese food is very seafood and meat forward — if you love shellfish, fish, octopus, beef, and pork, you’ll be spoiled for choice.
In addition to seafood and meat, vegetables and legumes are used in the various soups, salads, sandwiches, and popular sausages found in Portugal.
You can wash down your meal with a variety of beverage options, including the most popular — Port wine.
The Portuguese are big into white wine varieties, so there are plenty of flavors to try, often with fruity tones. start off with the zesty, fresh flavours of Vinho Verde (Green Wine), you’ll no doubt thank me later.
Sampling white wine in the Douro Valley in Portugal
To round off your meal (or start your day, no one will judge), Portuguese desserts offer some of the most delectable choices imaginable.
Think flaky, buttery crusts, creamy puddings, and fresh sweet rolls. In short, always save room for dessert when you’re travelling to Portugal!
10 best Portuguese Foods to Try
Although this list probably doesn’t even cover half of the great dishes found in Portugal, it does give you the highlights of the “must try” list.
Whether you’re passing through and staying in Lisbon on a short stopover, or as part of a longer road trip adventure through extraordinary Portugal, these are some of the best Portuguese foods to sample.
What is the best food to try when checking out Portugal? Here’s my list of 10 tasty Portuguese dishes:
1. standard Bacalhau
Salted and dried cod is one of the foods you’re bound to come across, no matter where you travel in Portugal. This staple of Portuguese gastronomy can be took pleasure in at any time of day and considered by lots of to be the ‘national dish’ of Portugal.
Bolinhos de Bacalhau are tasty fried cod cakes
It has so lots of different forms of preparation that its nickname in Portuguese indicates “the faithful friend!”
It’s not unusual to see the whole smoked cod hanging in markets or stacked in sky-high piles in your local supermarket. Whilst lots of Portuguese prepare this dish in the comfort of their own home, you can also take pleasure in the delicious, salty flavours at restaurants throughout Portugal.
Fried cod cakes (Bolinhos de Bacalhau) are very popular, but my personal much-loved is the Bacalhau à Brás which consists of shredded cod, thin potato fries and onions all bound up by scrambled egg and normally topped off with black olives and a garnish of parsley. simply divine!
2. Caldo Verde soup (one of the healthier Portuguese foods to try)
Caldo Verde indicates “green broth”. It gets its name from the thinly sliced pieces of green kale, one of the main ingredients. Mixed in with the kale are mashed potato and garlicky chorizo sausage for a healthy and hearty meal.
Healthy caldo verde soupAlthough there is some variation in spices and preparation methods throughout the country, the basics of the soup remain the same.
It’s a great meal choice, especially if you’re checking out Portugal during wintertime and trying to find something to warm you up on a colder, windy day.
3. Sardinhas Assadas
No trip to Portugal would be complete without sampling a grilled sardine! This utmost Portuguese snack and comfort food can be found throughout the country, particularly along the coast, where the sardines are freshly caught.
Grilled sardines are a very popular food in Portugal
Roasted whole over an open fire, the sardines take on a smoky, crisp flavor on the outside and offer succulent white meat on the inside. Locals eat the sardines whole by holding on to the head and tail and biting into the side to avoid the bones.
Every year, the Feast of St. Anthony (the patron saint of Lisbon) celebration takes place in June. This holiday is also called “the Sardine Festival” due to the plethora of roasted sardines available from street vendors on every corner in the city.
Head to the historic Alfama district and you’ll be greeted with festive music, dancing, lots of beer and not to mention the grills lining the streets as festival-goers devour grilled Sardines by the bucket!
4. Peixinhos da Horta
Although lots of Portuguese foods rely heavily on seafood and meat, this is one vegetarian-friendly option you won’t want to miss.
Peixinhos da horta translates to “little garden fish,” but don’t let the name deceive you into thinking these are real fish. basic but mouth-wateringly delicious, peixinhos da horta are small pieces of garden veggies chopped up, breaded, and fried.
Fried green beans – Peixinhos da Horta
The name only comes from the fact that once cooked, the veggie bits somewhat resemble small fish.
Green beans are the most standard vegetable to use, but the method is used on a variety of other garden goodies, like peppers, squash, or carrots. It’s a great appetizer to try at a restaurant and is a great Portuguese street food snack.
5. Francesinha
The Francesinha is a quintessential food icon of Porto and makes for one hearty meal! two thick, fresh slices of bread are piled high with different varieties of meat, normally some combination of ham, sausage, and steak.
Is the food in Portugal healthy? Yes…unless you eat this every day!
It’s slathered in melted cheese and flavorful spicy tomato sauce. a lot of often topped off with a fried egg, for a delicious gooey topping.
There’s no doubt that this is one of the best things to try in Porto. Be alerted though; you might want to attempt it with a friend, especially considering that this monster sandwich is normally accompanied by a heaping pile of potato fries and dipping sauce on the side.
6. Bolo Rei
Bolo Rei, when translated, indicates “King’s Cake” and is the much-loved, standard Portuguese Christmas food. Although it’s a lot of common around the holidays, it’s possible to find it at other times of the year too.
Bolo Rei Portuguese Christmas cake
Bolo Rei is a sweet bread made with eggs and filled with dried and candied fruits, nuts, and raisins, then formed into a donut shape and given a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
The a lot of authentic versions are made with fava beans inside as well, but this isn’t as common in commercial varieties.
7. Pastéis de Nata
These delectable egg yolk custard pastries are a staple Portuguese dessert (or snack, or breakfast….), and likely the most well-known Portuguese sweet delicacy too.
Pasteis nata are loved around the entire country
The pastéis (or pastel in the singular) are made with puff pastry shells stuffed with yellow egg yolk custard. The custard is flavored with a bit of lemon and sugary goodness. It’s normally topped off with a dusting of powdered sugar or cinnamon.
One of the top places in Portugal to try the pastéis is in the Pastéis de Belém bakery in Lisbon. This historic venue has been open considering that 1837 and arguably makes the best pastries in the country. Alternatively, head to the Manteigaria chain of stores whose pastel de Nata, in my opinion, are equally as good!
8. Port Wine
This quintessential drink of Portugal, Port wine, is sold worldwide, but there’s nothing quite like trying it in the country of its origin.
You needto try Port white wine when checking out Portugal
If you’re a true white wine lover, make sure you schedule a white wine tasting excursion in the Douro Valley, the exclusive growing site for the grapes used in the wine.
Port white wine is sweeter, richer, and has a higher alcohol content than other white wine varieties. a lot of people love it, some people hate it, but make sure it’s at least on your list of drinks in Portugal to try!
If you don’t take to the bold flavours immediately, then be sure to try out a white Port Tonic, a refreshing and delicious way to take pleasure in Port white wine on a hot sunny day in Portugal.
9. Alheira de Mirandela
This is a Portuguese food with a bit of fascinating history. Alheira is a sausage type, but the authentic variety doesn’t consist of any pork, which isn’t normal of a sausage.
Alheira sausage in Portugal
Alheira were created by the Jewish community who chose to remain in Portugal after the 15th century when their religion was banned. Although they converted to Christianity, they strove to preserve their culture and beliefs in what ways they could, such as by not eating pork.
To create the sausage, bread was mixed with meat, such as cow and wild game, to create a product that appeared and tasted like pork so it could be sold without question in markets.
Today, alheira is still a popular sausage variety around the country. They are often grilled to smoky perfection and served with a large pile of potato fries and gooey fried eggs.
10. Porco Preto
One of the classic meats from Portugal comes from the black Iberian pig (Porco Preto translates to “black pig”). These free-range, domestic pigs are typically fed a diet composed generally of acorns, and the meat possesses a special flavor, particularly when generally smoked and cured.
Keep your eyes open for delicacies like pata negra ham (also called Jamon Iberico or cerdo Iberico), ultra-thinly sliced smoked ham typically served with white wine and cheese.
Another common delicacy made from the black Iberian pigs is plumas de porco preto. These tender pork cutlets are common to find in Portuguese restaurants, often served with a heaping pile of fries or a vegetable dish of some kind.
But, my absolute much-loved has to be the tender Bochechas de Porco Preto (Black Pork cheeks), a standard dish from the Alentejo region and best took pleasure in with a great Alentejo red wine.
11. Bonus! Piri Piri chicken (Frango Assado)
At the mention of Portuguese cuisine, it’s nearly inevitable that a lot of will immediately think of flame-grilled Piri Piri Chicken.
Interestingly though, as much as barbequed chicken is a very popular fast-food choice in Portugal, and a quintessential part of the local fare, it’s actually not typically Portuguese. In fact, the Portuguese are normally speaking not big fans of spicy foods.
Tasty Piri Piri chicken
So, where exactly did Frango Assado (or Frango Churrasco as it’s known in some parts of the country) originate?
You may be shocked to learn that the popular fast-food chain, Nandos, that has mainly popularised Piri Piri chicken around the world was actually founded by a South African based Portuguese back in the ’80s in South Africa.
There’s no doubt that the spicy sauces and spices from countries such as Mozambique and Angola as well as additionally afield in South America have all influenced the evolution of this tasty dish. It’s believed that through these former Portuguese colonies that Piri Piri chicken eventually made its way to Portugal too.
Regardless of whether you like it spicy hot or as lots of Portuguese prefer, a slightly milder version, there’s no doubt that Frango Assado must be one of the first things you taste when land