Portugal Travel

Seafood reigns supreme in Portugal and the Portuguese are quite masterful at cooking a wide variety of: meat, game and poultry dishes. Almost all of the dishes are prepared with olive oil, garlic, chili peppers, white/red wine and many different herbs and spices including: saffron, rosemary, parsley, fennel, corriander, cloves, paprika, white/black pepper and bay leaves.

A popular seafood dish is a succulent fish stew called Caldeirada de Peixe that is made with shrimp, clams, mussels, squid, octopus, cod or Bacalhau and plenty of potatoes. This dish has often been compared to a Louisiana style jumbalaya or bouillabaise. Cod fish is King in Portugal and the Portuguese can prepare it 101 different ways! Sardines are also another fish favourite in Portugal. Another popular dish is the Cozido à Portuguesa, which is essentially a melange of boiled vegetables (carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onions) and meats (chouriço sausage, blood sausage, beef) topped with olive oil. The spicy Chouriço sausages are very popular all over Portugal and many Portuguese make their own at home. Soups are also a Portuguese specialty and one of the best known is the Caldo Verde meaning green broth. It is made from stock, shredded spinach or cabbage, pureed potato, olive oil and parsley.

The Portuguese inherited their penchant and flair for sweets and desserts from the Moors. Some of the sweets include tarts Queijadas de Amêndoa, which are made from an almond, lemon, sugar and egg mixture and of course, the Pasteis de Nata (or) Queijadas de Nata, which are made from eggs and heavy cream. Wine is blessed in Portugal and no meal is complete without a nice Vinho Tinto red wine or a Vinho Branco white wine. Portuguese wines are world renowned for their exquisite bouquets and abundant varieties: The Wines and Vineyards of Portugal. In general, Portuguese cooking is typically Mediterranean but it has been fused with elements from the cuisines of the far east and Africa, this having resulted from Portuguese contact with those parts of the world during Portugal's Golden Age of discoveries. Portuguese cuisine is quite similar to that of Spain and Louisiana.