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Gastronomy in
Portugal |
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Gastronomy and Tradition
A moderate and
healthy climate, a rich fishing coast, and smooth, protected valleys… Not
surprising therefore that Portugal, wealthy in olive and wine, had already
been grudgingly coveted by the Romans. In the 8th century, during the
Moorish occupation and thanks to the techniques of irrigation, tree and
garden culture developed considerably. Early in the 15th century, the
Portuguese built their first caravel and sailed away to discover Madeira,
the Azores Islands and Brasil. In 1498, Vasco da Gama discovered the
maritime route leading to the valuable spices up to then treasured in the
Far East.
The Portuguese will introduce coriander, pepper, ginger,
curry, saffron and paprika in Europe. Thanks to the expansion of their
overseas empire, they will also actually be the first European to dock in
the Mollucas, in China, in Japan and in Ethiopia. They will bring back
with them many other exotic products up to then unknown to Europe, such as
rice and tea from the Orient, coffee and peanuts from Africa, and, of
course, pineapples, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes from the New
World. |
A Paradise of Fish and
Seafood
 The
neighbouring Atlantic Coast naturally lead to a sea product
oriented-gastronomy. There is, however, a first and unavoidable dish that
is part of the Portuguese everyday menu: soup. The most popular soup in
Portugal is the "caldo verde", emerald green like the province of Minho
where it was first conceived. It is definitely a must.
The recipe
is rather simple - green cabbage shredded in very thin strings and cooked
in a light stock of potatoes and olive oil, spiced with a few slices of
Portuguese pork sausage ("chouriço") .lt is delicious ! You will also
enjoy the "cozido", the actual national dish, very similar to the Irish
"beef and cabbage", and the tasty "caldeirada", prepared with the best
fish in the country.
Nonetheless, let credit be placed where it is
due: dried codfish, "bacalhau", finds its place of honour several times a
week at every table. Traditionally, it is said that there are as many
different ways to cook it (more or less sophisticated) as there are days
in the year. Among other fishing specialities, you will relish the sole
("Iinguado"), the red mullet ("salmonete"), the swordfish ("peixe espada")
and the conger eel ("eiroz").  And last but not least, one of the less
expensive but more tasteful fish - the sardine ("sardinha"), an essential
delicacy in the barbecues and outdoor celebrations throughout the whole
country. Unless, of course, you prefer the succulent stuffed crabs, the
excellent mussels ('mexilhões") or the Algarve clams cooked in the
"cataplana" with sausage, bacon and herbs.
As far as freshwater
fish is concerned, you can savour the lamprey ("lampreia") and the salmon
("salmão") from Minho, the exquisite trout ("truta") from the Serra da
Estreia or from Madeira, or the shad ("savel") from the Tagus and the
Douro rivers. |
Meat, fowl and game:
![meat dishes]() |
In spite of the quality and wealth of their
fish market, the Portuguese love meat and they cook it according to the
most varied and flavourful recipes.
The sautéed or grilled steak
("bife à Portuguesa"), very often cooked in a Port wine sauce, is served
throughout the whole country. Just as popular is the kebab ("espetadas"),
marinated in wine and garlic that add their special relish to the meat as
it cooks. To the mutton ("carneiro") you will prefer the delicious kid
("cabrito") or the sucking lamb ("borrego"), either stewed ("ensopado") or
marinated in spices and then baked.
Pork meat is also very popular.
The pig enjoys the acorn and white truffles widely spread in the cork oak
groves of the Alentejo. Do not miss the famous "carne de porco a
alentejana", made with diced marinated pork meat with red peppers and
clams or the roasted piglet ("Ieitão assado"), golden and crunchy as
desired. The sausages are excellent and you can delight with the smoked
ham ("presunto") and the smoked pork sausages like the "paio" and the
"salpicão". For those who like tripe, the Portuguese have a dish that will
totally seduce you! The "Tripas à moda do Porto" is a popular dish made of
veal and chicken tripe, sausage, smoked ham, dried beans, onions, smoked
pork sausage ("chouriço"), herbs and spices. |
Roasted
Kid
Chouriço preparation
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In the fowl section, there is a dainty turkey
("peru"), the duck ("pato"), the partridge ("perdiz") and the pigeon, all
of which each region prepares according to its own original recipes and
local traditions.
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Cheeses of Portugal
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The most popular Portuguese cheese,
the "Queijo da Serra", is a sheep cheese, made in the Serra da Estrela
region, where the highest peak of Portugal is located. Its smooth
consistency and delicate flavour are very much comparable to the best Bries.
You must also taste the delicious creamy little cheeses of
Azeitão, especially popular in the spring. And rejoice in flavouring the
"Serpa" from the Alentejo, sweet and unctuous when it is fresh, and
stronger and dryer after one or two years of aging in a cool environment.
Unless you prefer the "cabreiro", a strong goat cheese, or the "Queijo da
Ilha", an extraordinary cheese from the Azores Islands that is also used
grated (like parmesan) in numerous regional dishes. |
Serpa cheese
Cheese
preparation
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The Desserts:
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Portuguese people are sweet toothed! Their
specialities include a least two hundred different types of pastries. This
national taste to sweets seems to have originated during the Moorish
occupation; and in the 15th century there was the sugar cane planted in
Madeira. Later on, in the 17th and 18th century, the convents became
famous for their pastries, as can be told by the allusive (!) names of
their specialities: "toucinho do céu" - heaven's lard, or "barriga de
freiras" - nun's belly.
The best among the egg paste pastries are
the "ovos moles", originally from Aveiro. They play a major role in
Portuguese pastrymaking, and you can find them in little shells,
complementing tarts and pies or decorating cakes: sometimes these are
sprinkled with cinnamon or with grated walnut or almond.
In
this Portuguese paradise of daintiness, all you have to do is let yourself
be carried away by the endwise varieties of "pão de ló" (light sponge
cake), by the delicious "palha Abrantes" (golden thin strings of egg yolk
based paste), by the rich "pastéis de nata" of Belém, by the marvellous
almond paste (marzipan) of the Algarve, or yet by the "pão de rala" of
Évora, made of white pumpkin candy wrapped in almond paste. |
Sponge
Cake
Pasteis de nata & Leite creme
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Do you prefer fruits? Well, if that is the
case, here you will find sweet and flavourful canteloupe and grapes,
pineapple from the Azores, juicy oranges from the Algarve or bananas from
Madeira. If you are searching for exoticism, you can also try the mangoes,
the acid passion fruit or succulent soursop.
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The Wines of Portugal:
From
the North to the South, the country is wealthy in good wines and, apart
from the unique Port and Madeira, there are more than one hundred
different varieties of wines, ranging from table wines to special ones,
all of them reflecting the individual character of their respective
soil.
Port
Wine:
With an
alcohol content of 19 through 22 percent, this wine is subject to
very strict production regulations, and it is classified according
to the grape crops, the sugar content, the amount of added alcohol,
the age and the type of wood of the barrels used in the aging
process.
"Tinto" (red) - It is a young wine, rich in colour
and sweet. |
Port
Cellars
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"Tinto aloirado" (rubis colour) - It has aged for a few years,
has a golden red colour, equally sweet and with a strong fruity
bouquet.
 "Aloirado" (golden
colour) - It is an older wine, the result of the combination of several
special wines: it has a hot topaz colour: semi dry and sweet: it can be of
very first quality.
"Aloirado claro" (lighter golden) - This is a
wine which has reached the last stage of the aging process in barrels. It
has reached the peak of its career: aged golden colour. These are the more
common types of wine, but there are also numerous varieties of white Port
Wine, especially within the dry and extra dry sector. The Port wine
Institute assures the authenticity of any Port wine, whether it proceeds
from a blend of several crops, or whether it is a vintage, a reserve, or a
10, 20, 30 or 40 years old Port. The Institute provides certificates of
origin to all exported Ports and warranty seals to all Port wines bottled
in Portugal.
 Madeira Wines:
Sweet and mellow ("Malvasia"), dry and
austere ("Sercial"), sombre and semi-dry ("Verdelho") or semi-dry, rich
and full ("Boal"): all the varieties of this wine have a refined fruity
bouquet that you will relish as a dessert or as an appetiser.
Vinho Verde:
It is a light bubbling wine, hardly
sweetened and with a low alcoholic content (appr. 10 %); you will find it
sometimes refreshing and other times warm; the white Vinho Verde is the
perfect companion for seafood, fish and liver pate.
Douro Wines:
The fruity are wines of excellent
quality, with strong colours and very y relishes. The white wines are also
served with fish and liver pate. The red ones are served with game, fow1
and strong cheeses.
Dão Wines:
They have an alcoholic content ca.
11-13 percent, and have a fine and velvety flavour. The red ones have a
beautiful ruby colour, and can be harmoniously combined with game, spicy
meat and cheese. The white ones are light, with a citrus tone, and are
usually served with game, grilled meat and the strong cheeses of the
region. The white wines are refined and aromatic.
Alentejo
Wines:
The most famous vineyards of the
Alentejo region are those of Borba, Reguengos de
Monsaraz, Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito. The white wine production is more
Important than that of red wine. Nevertheless, both types are ideal
companions for the delicious regional specialities.
 Colares Wines:
The red wines are a perfect complement
to game and red meat, whereas the white should be served chilled with
fish, pasta and powerful cheeses.
Bucelas Wines:
Very acid when young, and dry after
aging; they should be served with not very spiced fish.
Setúbal Wines:
The "moscatel" grape is grown in this
region. The wine produced from such grape is smooth and perfumed, like
honey, when it is five years old, or richer and even more subtle after
reaching twenty five years of aging. It is to be served as a dessert
wine.
Algarve Wines:
These wines are light, velvety, fruity
and not very full-bodied; its alcoholic content is higher than 13 percent.
The red wines are served with grilled meat and codfish. The white ones are
the perfect appetiser.
At the end of a meal, do not miss the hot
burning 'bagaço" (distilled liquor) or the local liqueurs, such as the
"amarguinha" (made from sour almonds). And do note that the bottle corks
are of the finest quality. Two thirds of the cork used world-wide comes
from Portugal: it is the cork that conceals the mystery surrounding the
best special wines in the whole world.
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