Here are the top 20 Portuguese irresistible dishes that you should try on your next trip to Lisbon, if you haven't already.
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Bifanas - The National Portuguese sandwich (all time favorite)
So the firs of our "20 Portuguese Irresistible Dishes" had to be Bifanas. These are traditional Portuguese pork sandwiches, so popular that you’ll find them everywhere in the country although the taste will vary as each chef make their own marinades.
These Portuguese sandwiches are made of succulent marinated pork served in crunchy white bread. The bread has a crunchy crust on the outside and soft on the inside.
Bifanas can be served with a bowl of soup and fries for a full meal at lunch or dinner time. Or served with beer, for a typical late night Portuguese snack.
There are several variations of the bifana sandwiches. You can add more ingredients to your sandwich such as eggs, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes or stick with the traditional one. It looks like just a sandwich but it can really fill you up for hours. So good, you won’t want to miss a bite
Caldo Verde (Soup)
Caldo Verde originally comes from the northern Minho region of Portugal, where it has been eaten for centuries. A simple dish, it is made with basic ingredients of potato and onion puree and collard greens.
It was a simple, modest, yet comforting meal that was often served at the beginning of a meal. It could also be eaten as a light dinner.
Feijoada
Feijoada – derived from the Portuguese word feijão for beans – is a bean stew tossed with beef and pork. It makes sense that this soul-soothing comfort food is served during Portugal’s cool and rainy winters. In the rural region of Trás-os-Montes, this means a colorful stew of red and white beans studded with hunks of pork (sometimes including the ears and snout), sausages and lightly fried vegetables and spiced with cumin, cloves, garlic and paprika. Some versions cooked near the water substitute meat with whelk (sea snails).
Sopa da pedra
Sopa da pedra – ‘stone soup’ – comes piping hot with its own legend. According to Portuguese folklore, a homeless monk had nothing to eat, so rather than go hungry, he cleaned a stone and boiled it in water. As villagers passed him by, they each felt sorry for him and added something to brighten his meal: a few potatoes, some hunks of meat, a bag of beans. The soup slowly morphed from a poor man’s stew into a veritable feast.
Once it finished cooking, the monk removed the stone and invited the villagers to join him for a meal. The story is still told today and has a distinct moral – the importance of sharing – and the soup, as in the story, can be prepared with a myriad of ingredients and shared among friends.
Polvo à la Lagareiro – Traditional Portuguese Octopus Dish
Lagareiro is a fish cooking style of cooking which has many variants but typically ends in dressing the fish generously with extra virgin olive oil (Lagareiro is the owner of an olive oil press) after grilling or roasting. There are great myths about octopus, its tenderness and how not to get it to taste like rubber. From boiling it in coke to “toe-dipping” the octopus three before submersion or to “beat it to death” with a hammer, the tricks are numerous.
You must try it at least once while visiting Portugal.
Francesinha
The signature sandwich of Porto, francesinha is built out of two thick slices of bread crammed with meat (usually steak, ham, sausage or chorizo), slathered with melted cheese and a spicy tomato sauce and occasionally crowned with a gooey fried egg. The sandwich is quite similar to the French croque-monsieur; it was introduced to the Portuguese by Daniel da Silva, who returned to the country from France and attempted to change the French sandwich to something the Portuguese palette would prefer. Like a croque-monsieur, a francesinha is usually accompanied by a mountain of fries.
Pastéis de Nata
Perhaps Portugal’s most adored pastry, the pastéis de nata is a pint-size egg custard tart. Puff pastry is jammed with a yellow custard whisked with egg yolks, sugar, cream and a dash of lemon zest and baked until golden. At Pastéis de Belém, a bakery that’s been in operation since 1837 in Lisbon, lines curl out of the bakery with visitors waiting for one thing: the famed Pastéis de Belem. Guests can shower each pastry with their choice of powdered sugar or cinnamon; they are eaten for breakfast, as a snack or a dessert.
You can find the original Pastéis de Nata in Belém, otherwise you can also find them anywhere in the country at any cafe.
Piri Piri Chicken
Frango piri-piri or frango no churrasco com piri piri is piri-piri chicken, a dish that has its roots in the Portuguese colonies in Africa but is famously from Guia in the Algarve.
You’ll find piri-piri chicken on menus all over Portugal, and you can order it as a takeaway from the churrasqueiras dotted around the country, but the best piri-piri really does come from the Algarve. Not necessarily from Guia, although there are some great restaurants there, but from the surrounding towns and villages in the Algarve.
Arroz de Marisco
Arroz de Marisco is a rich seafood stew that’s made up of fish and rice. It’s a Portuguese favorite, and it’s also another one of the 7 wonders of Portuguese gastronomy.
As well as arroz de marisco (seafood rice), you’ll also find similar dishes like arroz de tamboril, arroz de bacalhau, and arroz de polvo.
Sardines
Grilled sardines are one of the most quintessential Portuguese things that you can eat and every summer, particularly during the month of June, the air is filled with the smell of BBQ’s sardines.
Arroz de Pato
It’s simple, and often greasy, but arroz de pato (or duck rice) is one of the most comforting dishes that you’ll find in Portuguese cuisine. It’s a regular on daily menus, takeaway menus, and it’s also something that you can easily cook at home as well.
Pastéis de Bacalhau
Pastéis de bacalhau are typically made from a mixture of potatoes, bacalhau (codfish), eggs, parsley, onion and sometimes a hint of nutmeg. They are also commonly referred to as "salt cod fritters" or "salt cod croquettes" The bolinhos or pastéis de bacalhau are shaped using two spoons, deep fried and served hot or cold before meals as an appetizer or as a meal itself (usually served with plain or seasoned rice, salad and olives). Ideally, they should be slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside.
These are considered as started or appetizers but oh boy if you have one, you will just keep eating more!
Gambas à guilho (Prawns with guillotine)
Another seafood dish worthy of the highest praise in terms of flavor and aroma. Prawns à guilho, or garlic, if you want a more “national” version, are a starter worthy of the best palates. The ingredients are simple, as, in addition to the obvious prawns, all you need is garlic, olive oil and salt. Of course, you can then add some seasonings, namely lemon, cayenne pepper , or even whiskey.
Moelas (Chicken Gizzards)
Moelas are gizzards. They are usually sautéed in a pan with a spicy tomato sauce, and then served with bread.
It's also considered an appetizer but it can really fill you up.
Salada de polvo (Octopus Salad)
Salade de polvo is essentially octopus salad. Usually octopus salad means octopus that’s marinated in olive oil and vinegar and served with fresh tomato, onion, and chopped herbs.
It's a starter/appetizer and super tasty.
Chouriço Assado
Chouriço assado is cured sausage that’s cooked, or flame-grilled. This is a fun one to order because it’s usually brought out on a terracotta dish that has been soaked in alcohol and then set on fire and cooked in front of you.
This one can be pretty heavy and it’s best washed down with a good glass of Portuguese red wine, white wine, beer – anything really, but you’re going to need something as it’s very rich.
Rissóis de Camarão
Portuguese shrimp turnovers (rissóis de camarão), are a traditional appetizer that deliver the homey comfort of being in your Portuguese grandma’s kitchen. Even if you never had a Portuguese grandma. Have that feeling, have a Rissol de Camarão!
Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato (Clams with Garlic and Coriander Sauce)
Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato is a typical dish of Portuguese cuisine, originating in the region of Estremadura. It is claimed that the name of this snack is a tribute to the Portuguese poet Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato after he mentioned a cook in his writings.
It is a very common dish in seafood restaurants and breweries, along with octopus salad , roe and shrimp salad. The dish is made with clams , olive oil , garlic , coriander , salt , pepper and lemon (for seasoning before serving). Some recipes may add a small amount of white wine .
Lobster
The taste of the Portuguese cooked Lobsters is different than anywhere else you may have eaten, their combination of marinade, spices and wine is perfect.
Do try one of these if you are in town! I know just the restaurant where you can go have on - Restaurant Tico Tico
Cakes/Pastries
If you have a sweet tooth like me...look no longer! Portugal has something for everyone. Leave some space in your luggage to take some cakes back home with you! I'm serious! You will thank me later.
Bolos De Ovos (Cakes with Egg cream filling)
If you try one slice of these, you will keep asking for more, they sell slices at most Patisseries and Bakery but even if they don't you can get one cake for the whole time you are there and eat at your own time.
Fios de Ovos
Angel hair, called in Portuguese Fios de ovos ("egg threads") is a traditional Portuguese sweet food made of eggs (chiefly yolks), drawn into thin strands and boiled in sugar syrup. They are a traditional element in Portuguese cuisine, both in desserts and as side dishes.
Bola de Berlim
As their name suggests, bolas de Berlim are balls of cream-filled dough that are Portugal's spin on Germany's Berliner doughnuts. Slightly larger than their namesake, bolas de Berlim are sliced in half around the middle and filled with an egg-based cream typical in Portuguese desserts.
I hope you enjoyed my personal food favorites list and make the most of this selection on your next trip to Portugal!
Bye for now,
Pria
xx
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