The colorful, original and incredibly delicious cuisine of Portugal will make any vacation wonderful. After a hard day with traditional dishes, you can really relax quite well, having fun for a long time to come.
The article will tell you about the features of the national cuisine of Portugal and the dishes that can be prepared at home. Despite the cardinally different preferences of each person, traditional Portuguese food did not leave anyone indifferent, therefore, it really deserves respect.
Features of Portuguese cuisine
Some people mistakenly claim that local Portuguese dishes are derived from Spanish. In fact, the influence of many different nationalities can be traced in this kitchen. For example, bitter peppers came from African countries, and Italian traditions presented garlic and pasta.
The cuisine of Portugal is popular thanks to locals who are good at and love to use spices. They give dishes a different flavor. Therefore, two identical servings can radically differ from each other if you season them with different spices.
Among the main features of Portuguese cuisine, it is worth noting the fact that seafood and fish dishes prevail in it. This is explained by the fact that the state itself is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore, all residents have access to these products. Due to this feature of Portuguese cuisine, the country has long been considered the first in terms of seafood consumption. In addition, it is believed that every local is able to cook exactly 365 cod dishes (according to the number of days in a year).
The unique goodies of Portugal combine diet and high-calorie components. They are real kaleidoscopes of tastes and are prepared both according to elementary and inaccessible recipes for the majority of the population.
What is served in the continental part
The cuisine of Portugal, or rather its continental part, is famous for cod dishes, called Bakalau. Culinary specialists cook it with sausages and legumes, often added to pies as a filling. In addition, there are even fish cakes that delight all tourists.
On the day of all saints in Porto, it is customary to cook sardines. Every person who finds himself in that area must definitely try a trip - a delicious stew made from giblets. Thanks to him, the inhabitants of this part of the country began to be called tripeirush, which literally means "lovers of shit."
People were forced to cook food from the giblets because of hunger. Back in the middle of the 15th century, the famous ruler Don Enrique decided to expand his possessions and slaughter the livestock available to the townspeople. Because of this, the inhabitants of Porto had to survive in every possible way, so the dishes were prepared from what was at hand and what was left of the military. That is how the entrails dish with vegetables came about. Even despite the fact that it became famous more than 5 centuries ago, today its taste is highly appreciated by both locals and tourists.
The formation of the national cuisine of Portugal for a long time took place under the influence of certain factors:
- isolation from other states;
- not too large selection of ingredients, because of which simple cooking technologies were held in high esteem;
- poverty, which does not allow buying expensive products, so the basis of the diet was laid fish caught on their own.
Tourists often wonder what to try with Portuguese national cuisine. It is impossible to give a clear answer here, as each region has its own special dishes. They are called the culinary prides of a certain part of the state and are very rarely found in any other places.
Every lunch, the Portuguese must end with dessert. If we talk about the number of sweets, then this country is superior in this indicator to many countries of modern Europe. You can find delicious desserts on almost every corner. For example, in the metropolitan area of Belem there is a bakery where every person has a chance to taste delicious pastries. Not only locals come here to feast here, but also tourists from neighboring countries.
Dishes of the Azores
One of the archipelagos that attract tourists is the Azores. Here, the cuisine is very similar to the one that prevails in the continental part, but unique dishes are also present. A great example would be kozidu dash furnish. It is prepared in the vent of the volcano, where a container with chicken meat and vegetables descends. In addition, on the territory of the islands you can try delicious bread and various varieties of honey. It is this kind of food that is the basis of the daily diet of local residents.
Food on Madeira Island
If you have any doubts about what to try from the Portuguese cuisine, while on the island of Madeira, you should immediately make a choice in favor of french fries, corn and legumes. All this is served as a side dish for meat and fish dishes. Typically, beef or pork is used to make the former. The main dishes have practically no serious features, but the additions to them are always excellent.
What to try in Portugal
Going to a western country, you definitely need to learn more about the cuisine of Portugal. It is filled with a gamut of diverse tastes, as well as light flavors. Each category of dishes contains several real culinary masterpieces that are truly worthy of attention.
First meal
The names of dishes of national cuisine of Portugal always seem strange to tourists, although remembering them is not so difficult. Entering a local cafe, you should definitely try some soup. Most popular are:
- "Captain Vidal's crying fish." The dish is named after a simple fisherman who makes a living by fishing and selling fish. When the crew of one ship lost food, the captain decided to cook the fish soup. The broth was made from live fish, so it seemed to the sailors that it was crying. As a result, the ship returned home without a catch, but it brought with it a new recipe for soup made of vegetables, cod and spices. Today you can try the soup in any institution in Portugal, but cooking on your own will be problematic, as the cooks do not reveal the secrets.
- Caldu Verde. Famous soup puree can easily compete with Russian cabbage soup. It is made from cabbage, olive oil, smoked sausage and paprika. The finished dish has a rather delicate taste.
Fish goodies
The national cuisine of Portugal is famous for the color of fish dishes, as well as food with seafood. Citizens do an excellent job with these ingredients, so they can enjoy the masterpieces of cooking every day. Typically, they grill food in a grill or pan to get a richer flavor.
There are many recipes for cod in the Portuguese. The most popular is salting fish. This recipe was used by fishermen to deliver fresh catch to the shore. Before starting the procedure, the fish must be soaked for 24 hours in water. Now in local stores you can already buy salted carcasses, although not so long ago it was problematic.
The Portuguese pay special attention to the following dishes:
- Grilled fish. In this way any fish is cooked. Most often, on weekends, citizens put grills on their balconies and prepare delicious dishes, the aroma of which spreads throughout the streets. Cafes and restaurants serve fairly large portions with rice or fresh vegetables.
- Angler. An exotic dish recommended for all tourists is prepared using a special technology that only experts know. Here the fish is cut in portions and mixed with various vegetables and spices. This dish is often prepared for dinner. And in restaurants specializing specifically in seafood, this is made from shellfish and octopus.
- Alentejo. A pork dish can amuse the taste buds of every picky taster. No admirer of seafood and meat can pass by. Alentejo has been preparing for quite some time, since it is necessary for him to pickle meat in sauce and fry it, which takes a lot of time. They eat it most often with potatoes, since in its pure form the dish is not completely satisfying.
Sweets
For dessert in Portugal, it is customary to serve pastries, cakes and puddings. Most of the recipes were taken from nun records.
Local residents and visitors alike will always like dishes such as:
- Pastel de nata. Unique puff pastry cakes have a creamy egg filling, which attract consumers. They are served in many restaurants and cafes. Some culinary experts supplement them with cinnamon, which gives an improved taste and aroma. These cakes even form the basis of breakfast with a cup of espresso.
- Egg dish from Aveiro. A creative dessert with delicate egg filling is wrapped in a waffle tube. It literally melts in your mouth, making you feel all the charms of the taste of the simplest ingredients used every day to cook a variety of foods.
- Pao de lo. The biscuit served in every Portuguese bakery is made using a special technology and is consumed in combination with ice cream.
Recipes
People who are unable to visit a western country are looking for recipes for Portuguese cuisine in order to get a little acquainted with the splendor of the taste of these dishes. The most popular dishes are, of course, fish. Fortunately, the ingredients for them can easily be purchased at the nearest store. Although the taste of Portuguese food cannot be exactly repeated, it is still possible to get a little closer to it. Thanks to the recipes, everyone who tastes such dishes will surely have a desire to go to Portugal and taste the food from local cooking experts.
Arosh de marishka
The first thing to consider is the Portuguese paella - aroche de marishka. For her, you need to take the following ingredients:
- 250 g of fish and any seafood;
- a glass of rice;
- a couple of glasses of fish stock;
- two cloves of garlic;
- one onion;
- a couple of tomatoes;
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil;
- ground pepper and salt.
The cooking process consists of only four steps:
- Grind onions, garlic, tomatoes and fry in olive oil until golden brown.
- Combine the vegetable mixture with seafood, and pour all this over the broth on top, without removing from the heat.
- When the liquid boils, pour the rice into it and add spices to taste.
- Stir and simmer until cooked under the lid.
Before serving, the dish can be varied with herbs and lemon juice. This will give it not only a more presentable appearance, but also a significantly improved taste.
Caldu Verde
Speaking about what to try from the cuisine of Portugal, mention should be made of Caldu Verde soup. It will require:
- potatoes - 5 pieces;
- sweet paprika - a teaspoon;
- curly cabbage - a bunch;
- chicken stock - 2.5 liters;
- smoked hot sausage - 280 grams;
- bulb;
- vegetable oil - a couple of tablespoons;
- ground black pepper - half a teaspoon;
- cayenne pepper - 1/4 teaspoon.
The dish is prepared as follows:
- Grind potatoes and sausage.
- Fry the second chopped component for two minutes in oil, remove from the container.
- On the remaining fat, mash the onion in chopped form.
- Combine it with paprika, sulfur pepper, salt and cayenne pepper.
- Pour potatoes and pour the broth.
- Cook for as long as the potatoes are ready.
- Remove the container from the heat and make puree from the contents.
- Peel and grind kale.
- Combine all ingredients together and boil for 10 minutes.
Before serving, you can decorate it with dill. In addition, bread croutons are perfect for him.
Folar de Olhão
Small pies served as a dessert especially attract small tasters. They differ in unique taste properties, as they are complemented by unusual ingredients. To prepare, you need to take:
- 350 grams of flour;
- a couple of tablespoons of melted honey and orange juice;
- 260 grams of cane sugar;
- 80 grams of soft butter;
- beaten egg;
- 5 grams of sea salt;
- 80 ml of milk;
- half a teaspoon of cinnamon and ground fennel seeds.
The cooking method is as follows:
- Mix 60 grams of cane sugar, 30 grams of butter, an egg, sea salt, flour, and half an orange juice.
- Bringing the mass to homogeneity, it is necessary to slowly pour milk into it, constantly kneading the dough.
- When it becomes dense and smooth, it should be left for 15 minutes, covered with a towel.
- Roll out a layer of dough with a width of not more than half a centimeter.
- Combine 50 grams of sugar and spices and sprinkle with the resulting dough mixture.
- Lubricate the formation evenly with butter and roll the roll out of it.
- Cut the resulting into 6 parts and put on a baking sheet previously covered with parchment.
- Mix the remaining sugar with honey and orange juice.
- Bring the icing to a boil and pour the dough on it.
- Place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 40 minutes.
During the baking process, the baking must be lubricated periodically. In the finished form, the dish should be a little ruddy and rose. If the filling spreads out, you should not worry, because the taste and juiciness because of this will not go anywhere.
Used buns, usually with milk. They are great as a complement to any meal. Despite the high calorie content, this dish never allows girls who follow their own figure to pass by them.