[sniplet 468x60]

Bacalhau

The most popular fish in Portuguese cuisine is undoubtedly codfish, or bacalhau in Portuguese, and there are countless recipes. Locals claim that there are 365 codfish dishes, a different dish for every day of the year. A couple of the most popular recipes are the delicious bacalhau com natas and bacalhau à bras. Both contain tiny strips of potatoes, onions and olive oil. The codfish is boiled and then mixed with boiled potatoes and other ingredients. The difference is that with bacalhau com natas, the mixture is subsequently placed in a casserole and cooked in the oven. In the Portuguese kitchen, cod is always salted or dried and must be kept in water prior to cooking. The reason for this is very interesting. Namely, cod is brought to Portugal from the North Atlantic and in the past there were no freezers, so Portuguese fishermen had to resort to either salting or drying the fish. It has become so inseparable from Portuguese cooking that the traditional way of preservation has been kept to this day. Although cod is the most widely eaten fish, it is far from being the only sea ingredient used in Portuguese food. The Portuguese are also avid lovers of shrimp, sardines, squid, prawns, lobster, clams, mussels, hake and many other types of fish and seafood.

Cozido à Portuguesa

Meat is also very present in the Portuguese diet. In the old days, it was reserved for the wealthier families, but there are many savory traditional meat dishes made from pork, beef and poultry. Perhaps the most famous meat dish is the cozido à portuguesa. It is essentially a stew made from different types of meat, including pork, beef, sausages and chicken, and various vegetables. Portuguese sausages are incredibly tasty and very popular in little bars and restaurants. The alheira is a sausage from the north of Portugal made from different types of poultry. There is a very interesting anecdote surrounding the story of the alheira. Namely, when the Jews were forced to either leave the country or convert to Christianity in the fifteenth century, they started making sausages stuffed with poultry meat so as to fool the Inquisition into thinking that they had converted and are showing it by consuming pork. This allowed them to practice their religion in secrecy. Today, the alheira is available in most traditional Portuguese restaurants and has become an important part of Portuguese cuisine.

Vegetarian Dishes

Portuguese dishes are usually based on olive oil. Although it might come as a surprise, the Portuguese do not consume as many vegetables as other Europeans. There are vegetarian dishes and various soups, such as the famous caldo verde, but compared to meat and fish, vegetable-based dishes seem few and far between. The feijoada is a stew based on beans, but it also contains slices of beef and pork. Big cities, however, have a handful of excellent vegetarian restaurants and the younger population is increasing turning to vegetables for a healthier diet.

Cheeses and Desserts

An account of Portuguese cuisine would be incomplete without mentioning Portuguese cheeses and desserts. Portugal is famous for its wide variety of cheeses that are consumed in the company of wine as appetizers. They usually have a rather strong flavor and aroma. Most restaurants place a cheese platter on your table before your main meal arrives, so make sure to taste them. The Portuguese love their desserts and little pastry shops, or pastelarias, are teeming with all kinds of pastries, cakes and biscuits. Most are based on eggs and cream and sprinkled with vanilla or cinnamon. Some of the most famous include arroz doce, a type of sweet rice pudding, and custard tarts called pastéis de nata, which are also known as pastéis de Belém. The latter are a trademark of Portuguese cuisine and are enjoyed worldwide.

[sniplet 468x60]

Northern Portuguese Wines and Port Wine

The northern part of Portugal, namely the regions of the Douro, Bairrada and Dão, are known for their production of high class wines that have received numerous international awards. Perhaps the most famous of the Portuguese wines is Port wine, named after the city of Porto from where it was exported to countries all over Europe. Port is a fortified wine that comes in a couple of varieties, either as a dry or semi-dry white wine or sweet red wine. Produced from the grapes grown in the Douro Valley, Port is fortified with the adding of aguardente, a Portuguese brandy which literally means firewater. This stops the fermentation process and leaves sugar in the wine, making it sweeter and boosting its alcoholic content.

The Douro region also produces many types of table wines. The most famous Douro table wine is undoubtedly the red wine of Barca Velha, which has been produced by Casa Ferreirinha for more than 55 years. The Dão region is famous for its unique grape variety of Touriga Nacional, which is used for the production both red and white wine. The most prominent are Aliança and Grão Vasco. Bairrada produces mainly red wines, but also sparkling natural wines, such as the Marquês de Marialva.

Last but not least, we come to interesting vinho verde, literally meaning green wine. Its name has nothing to do with its color, however. Rather, the green refers to its light and youthful taste. It is made in the northernmost part of the country, in the Minho region, and comes mainly in the form of white wine. It is made to be consumed within a year of its production and possesses either a floral or a fruity aroma, in accordance with the variety used. It is always served fresh and is slightly carbonated; not enough, however, to enable us to categorize it as a sparkling wine or even a semi-sparkling wine. Vinho verde is a unique Portuguese wine. Being very refreshing, it is the ideal wine to accompany a traditional Portuguese fish dish.

Southern Portuguese Wines

In the southern part of Portugal, the most prominent wine region is Alentejo, producing excellent yet accessible fruity table wines. Alentejo’s specific dry and sunny weather give the wines a special taste. While the North has preserved ancient wine traditions and is very typically Portuguese, Alentejo combines modern, state-of-the-art production, still maintaining a Portuguese feel in its wines. North of Alentejo lies the province of Estremadura, where the district of Setúbal is particularly famous for the production of moscatel, or muscat wine. There are red and white varieties of moscatel and it is essentially a liquorish wine with a sweet aroma. The most renowned is undoubtedly Moscatel Roxo, which is stored in the cellar for twenty years before being sold.

Madeira Wine

Another fortified Portuguese wine comes from the islands of Madeira and is hence called Madeira wine. Like Port, it can be dry or sweet, depending on the variety, and is consumed either as an aperitif or as a dessert wine. Furthermore, it also uses distilled alcohol from cane sugar to boost its alcoholic content. There are different aging methods used and they result in different quality wines. The highest quality Madeira wine is aged naturally in rooms heated by the sun for a minimum of twenty years.

Portugal Wine Tours

If you are a wine lover, Portugal is a great country for a wine tasting adventure. You can start from the North and move slowly down to South or vice versa. There countless little estates, or quintas, that you can include on your itinerary. Gastronomic tourism has been developing rapidly in Portugal over the last few years and there are wonderful tours that take visitors to some of the most rural parts of the country, offering a truly unique and remarkable experience.