Each country have a specific dinner for Christmas. What are the unavoidable dishes we can have for Christmas in Portugal ?

Christmas meals in Portugal are relatively “simple” compared to some countries like French Christmas meals which can be more extravagant with foie gras, oysters and dishes that we are not necessarily used to eating in our daily lives.

For Christmas in Portugal, the main dish is often one that we are used to eating in our daily lives. The extravagant part of the Christmas meal in Portugal is more related to the dessert. Because there is usually not one dessert but several. A real feast composed of fried preparations, sweetened and sprinkled with cinnamon. In some families and regions, there is even a table  exclusively reserved for Christmas desserts. Nowadays we see less of this, tradition has it that 13 different desserts referring to the last meal of Jesus.

So what do the dishes for Christmas in Portugal ?

1 : Codfish

You can’t talk about food in Portugal without talking about “bacalhau” (cod), so it was unthinkable that it would not be present for Christmas in Portugal. Thus, one of the most common dishes on Christmas tables in Portugal on the evening of December 24 is the “bacalhau cozido”. It is boiled cod served with potatoes, cabbage and drizzled with olive oil (another characteristic of Portuguese cuisine: always drizzle olive oil on the dishes).

The tradition of eating cod at Christmas in Portugal is linked to the the Catholic region, the day before Christmas was a time when believers had to abstain from eating meat, so they opted for fish. At the time, dried cod did not require refrigeration and was easy to transport.

Cod is also eaten as an appetizer at lunch on December 25, in the form of leftovers from the previous day. The Portuguese call this “Roupa velha” (old clothes), echoing the use of the previous day’s leftovers.

2 : Octopus

If cod is the most present dish for Christmas in Portugal, we find in some regions, mainly those of the North (Minho, Douro, Tras-os-montes) one of my favorite Portuguese dishes : the Octopus. As for the cod dish, it is accompanied by potatoes, cabbage and generously sprinkled with olive oil and garlic.

3 : Meat dishes

In other regions, Christmas meals in Portugal include meat. These meats can vary, but turkey, lamb and kid are the most common. These meat dishes are eaten more on December 25 at noon than on December 24 at night.

4 : Bolo Rei

Let’s move on to the desserts, as I said, they are the “stars” of the Christmas meal in Portugal. The most famous, the one you can’t miss, the one that you find in mass in bakeries and supermarkets at Christmas time, is the Bolo Rei.

It was originally inspired by the French “galette des rois”. The Bolo Rei (King Cake), whose name refers to the Three Wise Men, is traditionally eaten in Portugal between Christmas and “Dia de Reis”, January 6.

This crown-shaped cake is made of a brioche dough with many dried and candied fruits. A version without candied fruits exists, it is the Bolo Rainha (Queen cake).

Traditionally the Bolo Rei contains a bean, but the real bean, not the porcelain bean.

5 : Aletria

For Christmas in Portugal, the mythical “arroz doce” (Portuguese rice pudding) is often found on the table, but also its cousin: the Aletria.

Instead of rice, vermicelli pasta are used. This dessert has strong influences from the Moors of North Africa who were present in Portugal for a long time. Its name comes from iṭriyah, the Arabic word that means “angel hair pasta”. Depending on the region of Portugal, it can be creamier or more liquid. Cinnamon powder is used to decorate it with motifs related to Christmas.

5 : Lampreia de Ovos

Many Portuguese desserts are made with egg yolks. So, it would have been unthinkable that there wouldn’t be an egg yolk based dessert on the Christmas dinner table in Portugal.

Lampreia de Ovos (egg lamprey) is a dessert, as the name suggests, that resembles a lamprey (a blood-sucking river fish, which is quite consumed here in Portugal). But don’t worry, this dessert, apart from its shape, has nothing to do with this bloodsucking fish, this one is made of sugar, eggs and almonds.

7 : Rabanadas

Rabanadas also called Fatias Douradas (golden slices) are the Portuguese version of the French toast. In December and early January, bakeries sell “cacete” a specific bread used for this preparation and difficult to find the rest of the year. This drier bread is ideal for absorbing the milk and egg mixture. In some regions of Portugal, there are variations to the classic Rabanadas such as:

• Rabanadas com Doce de Ovo : a cream of egg yolks is added to the bread.
• Rabanadas com Vinho do Porto : instead of dipping the bread in milk, the bread is dipped in port wine.

8 : Sonhos and Filhós

Filhos (Portuguese for “son”) and Sonhos (Portuguese for “dreams”) are a type of doughnut. What distinguishes one from the other is their shape. Sonhos are shaped like a small ball while filhós are flattened.There are two main flavors:

• The classic ones : kind of fried doughnuts filled with sugar and cinnamon.
• The pumpkin ones (abóbora) : with the addition of pumpkin to the dough, these dumplings are denser than the classic ones and obtain a caramelized texture when fried.

Conclusion

Now you know the most common dishes for Christmas in Portugal. Have you already tried some of the dishes mentioned in this blog post ? What are your favorites ones ?

… and … we wish you FELIZ NATAL 🙂

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