Portuguese food is Mediterranean at its core: simple, fresh ingredients cooked with care. But Portugal also has notable influences from Africa, Brazil, and Goa because of its very recent history of colonization, which finds its way into the occasional spice or use of cilantro, amongst others. Pick up a menu and you’ll notice seafood reigns on its almost 600 miles of coastline, (which doesn’t even include the Madeira and the Azores islands), but inland pork is king. So how do you choose? Here’s our take on the tastiest Portuguese foods to try on your trip.

Bacalhau

Salt cod fish is one of the most emblematic ingredients in Portuguese cooking. Some say Portugal has 365 recipes for bacalhau, one for every day of the year. Others claim there are over 1,000. No matter the number, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a restaurant in Portugal without it on the menu. Salt cod’s history dates back to Portugal’s seafaring history in the mid-1500s, when sailors and explorers would bring back cod from the icy waters around Greenland and Canada, using salt to preserve it on the long trek home. Cooks soak the cod in water for a day or two to desalt and rehydrate before preparing.

To start a meal, one of the best petiscos or snacks/appetizers is a salt cod fritter, called bolinhos de bacalhau or pastéis de bacalhau depending on where you’re eating them. Another is the bacalhau à brás, which includes shredded cod cooked down with eggs, onion, garlic, shoestring potatoes, and cilantro. Or look for bacalhau com natas, a sort of codfish au gratin with cream, potatoes, and cheese.

Cataplana

The southern coast is a popular Portuguese beach destination for our clients, and it’s here in the Algarve region that cataplana reigns. Cataplana technically refers to the copper pot in which this melange of coastal flavor is cooked and served. The contraption has an attached lid that locks in a rich stew of seafood, vegetables, and cilantro. The tight seal helps those clams, fish, and shrimp cook to perfection in their own briny juices.

Arroz de Marisco

A brothy rice dish loaded with all sorts of shellfish and fish is one of the best ways to taste Portugal’s ocean bounty. Arroz de marisco is usually served in monstrous communal pot which servers plop down on your table with shallow bowls and a ladle. Take caution: portions in Portugal can be massive. An order for two can easily feed four.

Sardines

Sardines abound in Portugal. From around June to October in coastal regions, you’ll find restaurants grilling fresh hauls over coals on the beach or outside restaurants. The preparation is simple. Just a sprinkle of coarse salt over the top and little salad and potatoes on the side, or sometimes a piece of cornflour bread. Outside of the summer season, look no further than the mass of canned sardine shops around the country. You may turn your nose up at the oily little tins, but they’re a true (and delicious) Portuguese staple. And with their colorful designs and unique flavored oils, they make great edible souvenirs.

Caldo Verde

Soup is the start to every traditional meal in Portugal, regardless of the season. Head to any classic tasca restaurant and you’re bound to see locals tucking into steaming bowls of soups. The most common is caldo verde, a surprisingly light potato soup made with a variation of Portuguese cabbage or kale—couve tronchouda—and topped with chorizo.

Meaty Sandwiches

Portugal does a lot of meaty sandwiches and they do them well. The bifana is probably the most well-known. It’s a is a soft bread roll layered with thin slices of garlicky, white-wine marinated pork. The prego is Portugal’s best beef sandwich, made by pounding slices of garlic into a thin strip of beef, and serving it on a roll, often with mustard. The melty pork-stuffed sandwich, sande de leitão, is another that can’t be missed. Leitão assado is a popular preparation in the countryside: Cooks slow roast a young suckling pig for hours in wood-burning ovens until the skin is shatteringly crispy and the the meat is spoon-tender.

Piri-Piri

Piri piri is a spicy pepper that likely originated in Mozambique, which was a Portuguese colony up until 1975. Most often it’s made into a hot sauce and served on the side of a garlicky grilled chicken, though you’ll also see it with shrimp or smoked pork ribs too. Chicken piri-piri is especially popular in the Algarve region.

Polvo à Lagareiro

In Portuguese, polvo means octopus and lagareiro refers to the person who works in an olive mill. This perfectly describes this octopus dish doused in freshly-pressed olive oil and served with soft, garlicky steamed potatoes.

Ameijoas à Bulhao Pato

Simple and perfectly Portuguese, this dish is nothing more than fresh clams cooked in garlic, white wine, and cilantro. It’s a great plate to share and even better for soaking up with a hunk of crusty bread.

Arroz de Pato

Duck rice is a surprising addition to the seafood and pork-laden menus of Portugal. This baked rice dish features shredded duck and slices of chorizo; the two meaty fats melt down through the rice and get extra crispy in the oven. It’s usually served with orange slices for a little sweet citrus spritz.

Dourada Grelhada

Dourada, or sea bream, is widely eaten across Portugal and Spain. The fish is always fresh and usually grilled and served with boiled potatoes (sometimes with a garlicky green sauce) and a simple salad. Keep in mind the Portuguese serve sea bream (like most fish in Europe) whole with the head in tact. Not sure how to debone your fish? You can always ask your server or a fellow Portuguese diner to give you a little tutorial.

Cozido à Portuguesa

Folks often miss out on hearty stews when traveling to new places, as stew may seem like underwhelming vacation food. But Portuguese stews are far from simple. Cozido à Portuguesa is a combination of all sorts of fresh and cured sausages and offal, slow-cooked down into a rich broth. The meat is removed and the broth is used to cook beans, rice, carrots, cabbage, and potatoes. Once it’s all ready to go, the juicy meat is served with all its flavorful accompaniments. If you head to the Azores, you’ll see how cooks bury big pots of this stew and cook it in the heat of the volcanic soil.

Porco Preta

Iberian black pork is a breed native to the Iberian peninsula. Spain’s famous jamón ibérico comes from this variety of hog. Along with being sustainably raised, the pigs have a unique way of storing fat in their bodies that lends to some pretty exceptional marbling. They also fatten themselves up on acorns in the fall, which adds a unique nutty nuance to the meat. Try it in charcuterie, sausages, the ultra-tender secreto preparation, or as grilled pork ribs.

Lapas

While a lesser-known Portuguese dish, lapas are a mainstay on Portugal’s islands in the Azores and Madeira. Limpets (in English), are a meaty sea snail similar to a mussel or large clam. The most delicious preparation involves loads of butter, garlic, and lemon.

Pastel de Nata

This famous dessert originates in Lisbon’s monasteries, specifically the Jerónimos Monastery in the Belém district. Following a nationwide closure of monasteries in the early 1800s, monks began selling pastries to make extra cash. At the time, they were using loads of egg whites to make communion wafers and to starch their clothing, leaving behind an excess of yolks that have become the backbone of Portugal’s dessert offerings. The now famous Pastéis de Belém bakery opened here in 1837, and it was here that the monks invented the country’s most famous dessert: the pastel de nata. A creamy egg custard is piled into a buttery, crispy shell, and baked to a caramelized crisp. Served warm with a dusting of either powdered sugar or cinnamon, these 2-3 bite marvels go down way too easy.

Portugal is such an exciting place to eat! Whether you’re hitting up the casual tascas in Lisbon, exploring Michelin dining in Porto, or lounging at countryside restaurant in the Alentejo region, there’s so much to eat from north to south.

Looking for restaurants serving the best versions of these essential Portuguese foods? Reach out to us to start locking in your itinerary and we’ll be sure you taste them all on your trip to Portugal.