Gastronomy in Portugal : 6 traditional Portuguese dishes you will love

April 30, 2021

Portugal offers many assets: beautiful cities, long coastline, beautiful beaches, beautiful monuments, traditions… and also many delicious Portuguese dishes.

This is what I’m going to talk about today by sharing with you 6 traditional Portuguese dishes not to be missed during your stay or your life in Portugal.

This list is not exhaustive. Today I have chosen to make you discover new Portuguese dishes because believe me, in terms of gastronomy there is plenty to do in Portugal.

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1- Arroz de Cabidela

Arroz de cabidela is a dish from the Minho region (north of Portugal). You will find it in the district of Braga and in the city of Vila Verde.

I want to say that this dish can be a bit divisive. You either like it or you don’t because this dish is made with animal blood.

Although it is a traditional Portuguese dish, because of the Portuguese presence in the world during the centuries of discoveries, this recipe can be found in several countries. You can find it in Cape Verde, Angola, Macao, India and Brazil.

In Portugal, the recipe of the arroz de cabidela is registered since the 16th century. It is traditionally made with rice, vinegar, blood and chicken but can also be prepared with duck, turkey, pork, goat or game.

This dish has also become popular because it is easy and inexpensive.

2 : Cozido à Portuguesa

Meat, sausage, cabbage and boiled vegetables, does this sound familiar ? Cozido à Portuguesa looks a little bit like Olla podrida from Spain, Pot-au-feu from France and Bollito Misto from Italy.

The origin of cozido is not certain. In the 17th century, Domingos Rodrigues, cook of the Royal House of Portugal was the first to write a culinary treatise in Portuguese: “Arte de Cozinha”. In it, the cozido à portuguesa is called with the Spanish name: olla podrida.

There are dozens of variations of this dish in Portugal. Depending on the region and family, some add chicken, some don’t, some add beans, sausages, chouriço, cabbage… some don’t.

In Minho, fatty chicken, smoked ham, salpicão and pork snout are added. The cabbage is removed and the rice is baked.

In Trás-os-Montes, alheira and farinheira sausages are added.

In Alentejo, it is called cozido à alentejana, does not include chicken, but may include lamb and chickpeas.

In the Algarve, some people add sweet potatoes and a sprig of mint to cozido.

In the Azores, it is cozido das Furnas that is cooked underground with the volcanic heat of Furnas.

Despite these variations, everyone agrees on one thing: it is one of the most popular Portuguese dishes among families. It is claimed by the Portuguese as the monument of the national gastronomy, and you will easily find it on the menu of typical restaurants, especially on Sundays.

3 : Tripas à moda do Porto

Tripas à moda do Porto is also one of the traditional Portuguese dishes and you will understand it especially in Porto. It contains different types of meat, tripe, sausage and white beans.

According to legend, the dish dates back to the time of the Great Portuguese Discoveries. At that time, both banks of the Douro River were occupied with the construction of ships. King Infante D. Henrique, son of D. João I, is said to have asked the people of Porto to provide all the food possible to the ships for their military expedition. All the meat available in the city was salted and supplied to the ships. The population that had sacrificed to provide all this food, ended up with only offal. This is where the tripas in moda do Porto would be born. And it is also this dish that gave the nickname of the inhabitants of Porto: the tripeiros (tripe eaters).

4 : Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato

The clams at Bulhão Pato are a typical dish of Portuguese cuisine, originating from the region of Estremadura. It is said that the name of this delicacy is a tribute to the Portuguese poet Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato author of recipes.

The dish is composed of clams, olive oil, garlic, coriander, salt, pepper and lemon. Some recipes may add a little white wine.

There are two books that refer to the origin of this dish in the city of Lisbon, more precisely in the old restaurant Estrela de Ouro, in Graça.

5 : Migas

This culinary specialty consists in frying very thin slices of dry bread rubbed with garlic in mutton or pork fat or in olive oil. It’s light … ? … but so good!

Migas à alentejana are the most famous ones, it is one of the most famous Portuguese dishes from Alentejo. Like the açordas and other dishes from this region of Portugal, the basic ingredient is bread.

In the region of Leiria (Portugal), Migas are also found in the form of corn bread crumbs with spinach, garlic and olive oil.

6 : Cataplana

The word “cataplana” refers to the dish used to cook the typical foods of the Algarve, but this name is also used for all the dishes made with this copper container formed by two concave parts that can be closed with all the ingredients inside.

This dish cataplana would be related to the Arab influence of North Africa in the Algarve region. In fact, in North Africa there is also an ancient utensil, whose cooking process is similar to that of the Cataplana. Do you have an idea? It is the famous Tajine. Although made of clay, it uses the same type of hermetic steam cooking as the cataplana, and the dishes are cooked slowly and at a low temperature preventing the loss of flavors.

The cataplana in Portugal began to be produced several decades ago in the Algarve region by old boilermakers. Traditionally made of copper or zinc, today they are often found in steel.

The cataplana is mainly used for clam and seafood recipes and is one of the Portuguese dishes that symbolize the gastronomic heritage in Portugal.

Conclusion

Portuguese dishes are very good and I advice you to discover these dishes during your stay or life in Portugal. If you prefer to eat sweet flavours, I wrote an article about 15 famous traditional portuguese desserts which I invite you to read next.

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