Portuguese cuisine is Mediterranean based with its very unique flavours and delicious when well cooked.  Spices like paprika, cinnamon, cummin, pepper, cloves, chilli, nutmeg were introduced when Portugal historically traded in spices. The chilli is not used much and the food is not spicy.  Most restaurants serve it separately as ‘piri-piri’ – chilli sauce in a bottle which you can sprinkle on your food.  The piri-piri chicken is not a traditional Portuguese dish but an imported recipe.

Soups are healthy and wholesome.  In restaurants you have vegetable soup (sopa de legumes/hortaliça), carrot soup (creme de cenoura), chicken broth (canja de galinha). The traditional and well-known is the caldo verde.  It consists of potato, which is pureed, finely shredded kale greens (couve galega) and finely sliced chouriço (Portuguese sausage).

Given our coastline fish is popular in Portuguese cuisine.  Sardines are a favourite. Tuna, mussels, clams, squid, octopus and the imported bacalhau salted codfish form part of the Portuguese diet.

Olive oil is a main ingredient and used abundantly. Herbs used include parsley, coriander, bay leaf, mint, oregano, basil.

Desserts tend to be very sweet and use lots of sugar and eggs. Many recipes originated from the Monasteries or convents. Popular puddings are pudim flan (creme caramel), arroz doce (rice pudding), chocolate mousse, leite creme (creme brulee).

You can find restaurants to fit your taste and pocket, from small back-street ‘tascas‘ (cafés) to luxury restaurants.  Portions tend to be generous.

Many restaurants serve a set price lunch menu with starter, main course, dessert, coffee and includes good house wine. Some fish and shellfish dishes are expensive.  When you see PV (preço variado) on a menu it means ‘varied price’ and it is charged by the weight.

Some of the typical Portuguese dishes you will find in restaurants:

• Ameijoas a bulhão pato – clams cooked in a tomato sauce.
• Arroz de pato – baked shredded duck in rice
• Arroz de marisco – shellfish rice cooked in a sauce
• Arroz de gambas – prawns cooked with rice in a sauce
• Arroz de polvo – octopus cooked with rice in a sauce
• Arroz de tamboril – rice with mokfish in a sauce
• Bacalhau com natas – codfish baked with potatoes in a cream sauce
• Cozido a Portuguesa – boiled meats, rice, greens, sausages
• Carne de porco a Alentejana – cubes of seasoned pork with clams
• Dobrada – a stew of tripe (cow’s stomach lining), white beans, chouriço and carrot, usually served with plain white rice. In the UK a tradition is tripe and onions, a different way of cooking this ingredient.  An acquired taste, and found only in a few restaurants these days.

  

• Feijoada – pork meat with beans

An example of modern Portuguese dishes above vieiras a bras com trufas – scallops with mushrooms and potatoes with egg, at Sr Manuel Seafood Bar (Av. Afonso Sanches, 40 Cascais).  

In some restaurants chefs add their modern versions to typical traditional dishes.