National cuisine of Portugal: features, traditional recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Colourful, original and incredibly delicious cuisine of Portugal will make any holiday wonderful. After a hard day of work with traditional dishes, you can really relax, having fun for a long time to come.

The article will tell you about the features of the national cuisine of Portugal and dishes that you can cook at home. Despite the radically different preferences of each person, traditional Portuguese food has not left anyone indifferent, so 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 cuisine. For example, hot peppers came here from African countries, and Italian traditions gave garlic and pasta.

Portuguese cuisine is popular thanks to the locals who are good at and love to use spices. They give different flavors to dishes. Therefore, two identical portions cancardinally differ from each other if seasoned with different spices.

Among the main features of Portuguese cuisine is the fact that it is dominated by seafood and fish dishes. 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. Thanks to this feature of the cuisine of Portugal, the country has long been considered the first in terms of consumption of seafood. In addition, it is generally accepted that each local resident is able to cook exactly 365 cod dishes (by the number of days in a year).

Portugal's unique delicacies combine dietary and high-calorie ingredients. They are real kaleidoscopes of tastes and are prepared according to both elementary and hard-to-reach recipes for the majority of the population.

What is served on the mainland

The cuisine of Portugal, or rather its continental part, is famous for its cod dishes, called bacalau. Cooks cook it with sausages and legumes, often add it to pies as a filling. In addition, there are even fish cakes that delight all tourists.

Sardines are cooked in Porto on All Saints' Day. Every person who finds himself in that area should definitely try tripash - a delicious stew made from offal. Thanks to him, the inhabitants of this part of the country began to be called tripeyros, which literally means "lovers of fluff".

Cooking offal food peoplewere forced due to hunger. Back in the middle of the 15th century, the famous ruler Don Enrique decided to expand his possessions and slaughter the cattle that the townspeople had. 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. This is how a dish of offal with vegetables appeared. Even though 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 occurred under the influence of certain factors:

• isolation from other states;
• not too big a choice of ingredients, because of which simple cooking techniques were held in high esteem;
• poverty, which does not allow to buy expensive products, so the diet was based on fish caught by oneself.

Tourists often wonder what to try from the national Portuguese cuisine. It is impossible to give a clear answer here, since each region has its own special dishes. They are called the culinary pride of a certain part of the state and are very rare in any other places.

The Portuguese always finish every meal with dessert. If we talk about the number of sweets, then it is this country that surpasses many countries of modern Europe in this indicator. You can find gourmet desserts on almost every corner. For example, in the Belem metropolitan area there is a bakery where everyone hasa person has a chance to taste great cakes. Not only local residents come here to eat, but also tourists from neighboring countries.

Dishes of the Azores

One of the archipelagos that attract tourists are the Azores. Here the cuisine is very similar to that which prevails in the continental part, but unique dishes are also present. A great example would be kozidu dash furnas. It is prepared in the very mouth 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 food that is the basis of the daily diet of local residents.

Food in Madeira

When in doubt about what to try from Portuguese cuisine while on the island of Madeira, you should immediately opt for french fries, corn and legumes. All this is served as a side dish for meat and fish dishes. As a rule, beef or pork is used to prepare the first. The main dishes have little to no serious speci alties, but the additions to them are always great.

Things to try in Portugal

Going to a Western country, you should definitely learn more about the cuisine of Portugal. It is filled with a range of various tastes, as well as light taste shades. Each category of dishes contains several real culinary masterpieces that are really worthy of attention.

First courses

Names of national dishesPortugal always seems strange to tourists, although it is not so difficult to remember them. Going to a local cafe, be sure to try some soup. The most popular are:

1. "Captain Vidal's Weeping Fish". The dish is named after a simple fisherman who earns a living by catching and selling fish. When the crew of one ship lost food, the captain decided to cook fish soup. The broth was made from live fish, so it seemed to the sailors that she was crying. As a result, the ship returned home without a catch, but instead brought with it a new recipe for soup made from vegetables, cod and spices. Today you can try the soup in any institution in Portugal, but it will be problematic to cook it yourself, as the secrets of cooking are not disclosed.
2. Kaldu Verde. The well-known puree soup can easily compete with Russian cabbage soup. It is made with 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 flavor of fish dishes, as well as food with seafood. The townspeople do an excellent job with these ingredients, so they can enjoy culinary masterpieces every day. They usually grill or pan fry food for a richer flavor.

Recipes for cooking cod from the Portuguese, there are many. The most popular is s alted fish. This recipe was used by fishermen to deliver a fresh catch to the shore. Before starting the procedure, fishmust be soaked overnight in water. Now you can already buy s alted carcasses in local stores, although not so long ago it was problematic.

The Portuguese pay special attention to the following dishes:

1. Grilled fish. Any fish is prepared in this way. Most often, on weekends, citizens put grills on their balconies and cook delicious dishes, the aroma of which spreads throughout the streets. Cafes and restaurants serve fairly large portions with rice or fresh vegetables.
2. Monkfish. An exotic dish, recommended to all tourists, is prepared using a special technology that only specialists 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 that specialize specifically in seafood, this is prepared from shellfish and octopus.
3. Alentejo. A pork dish can satisfy the taste buds of every picky taster. Not a single admirer of seafood and meat can pass by. Alentejo takes a long time to cook, as it requires marinating meat in sauce and frying it, which takes a lot of time. It is eaten most often with potatoes, since in its pure form the dish is not quite satisfying.

Sweets

Dessert in Portugal is usually served with pastries, cakes and puddings. Most of the recipes were taken from the nuns' notes.

Locals and visiting guests always like dishes like:

1. Pashtel de nata. Unique puff pastry cakes have a creamy egg filling, whichattract consumers. They are served in many restaurants and cafes. Some cooks supplement them with cinnamon, which gives an improved taste and aroma. These cakes even form the basis of breakfast along with a cup of espresso.
2. Egg dish from Aveiro. A creative dessert with the most delicate egg filling wrapped in a waffle tube. It literally melts in your mouth, making you feel all the delights of the taste of the simplest ingredients used every day to prepare a wide variety of food.
3. Pao de lo. The biscuit served in every Portuguese bakery is made according to a special technology and consumed in combination with ice cream.

Recipes

People who are unable to visit a Western country are looking for recipes from Portuguese cuisine to get a little familiar with the splendor of the taste of these dishes. The most popular dishes are, of course, fish. Fortunately, the ingredients for them can be easily purchased at the nearest store. Although the taste of Portuguese food cannot be exactly replicated, it is still possible to get a little closer to it. Thanks to the recipes, anyone who tries such dishes will definitely have a desire to go to Portugal and try food from local culinary experts.

Aroche de marisco

The first is to consider the Portuguese paella - arosh de marishko. It will require the following ingredients:

• 250 g of fish and any seafood;
• glass of rice;
• a couple of glasses of fish broth;
• two cloves of garlic;
• one bulb;
• pair of tomatoes;
• 2 tbsp olive oil;
• ground pepper and s alt.

The cooking process consists of only four steps:

1. Chop onions, garlic, tomatoes and fry in olive oil until golden brown.
2. Combine vegetable mixture with seafood, and top it all with broth, without removing from heat.
3. When the liquid boils, pour rice into it and add spices to taste.
4. Stir and simmer until tender 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.

Kaldu verde

Speaking of what to try from the cuisine of Portugal, we should mention the soup caldu verde. It will require:

• potatoes - 5 pieces;
• sweet paprika - teaspoon;
• curly cabbage - bunch;
• chicken broth - 2.5 liters;
• smoked spicy sausage - 280 grams;
• bulb;
• vegetable oil - a couple of tablespoons;
• ground black pepper - half teaspoon;
• cayenne pepper - 1/4 tsp.

The dish is prepared as follows:

1. Chop potatoes and sausage.
2. Fry the second cut component for two minutes in oil, remove from the container.
3. Save chopped onion on the remaining fat.
4. Pair it with paprika, pepper, s alt and cayenne.
5. Pour out the potatoes and pour out the broth.
6. Cook as long as it takes for the potatoes to cook.
7. Remove the container from the heat and puree the contents.
8. Clean and shred the kale.
9. Combine all ingredients together and boil for 10 minutes.

Before serving the dish, you can decorate it with dill. In addition, bread croutons are perfect with it.

Folar de Olhao

Small pies served as a dessert especially appeal to little tasters. They are distinguished by unique taste properties, as they are complemented by unusual ingredients. For cooking you will need to take:

• 350 grams of flour;
• a couple of tablespoons each of melted honey and orange juice;
• 260 grams of cane sugar;
• 80 grams of soft butter;
• beaten egg;
• 5 grams of sea s alt;
• 80ml milk;
• half a teaspoon each of cinnamon and ground fennel seeds.

The cooking method is as follows:

1. Mix 60g cane sugar, 30g butter, egg, sea s alt, flour and half the orange juice.
2. Bringing the mass to homogeneity, it is necessary to slowly pour milk into it, constantly kneading the dough.
3. When it becomes dense and smooth, it should be left for 15 minutes, covered with a towel.
4. Roll out a layer of dough no more than half a centimeter wide.
5. Combine 50 grams of sugar and spices and sprinkle the dough with the resulting mixture.
6. Lubricate the formationbutter evenly and roll it into a roll.
7. Cut into 6 pieces and put on a baking sheet pre-lined with parchment.
8. Mix remaining sugar with honey and orange juice.
9. Bring the icing to a boil and pour it over the dough.
10. Put the baking sheet in the oven preheated to 180 degrees for 40 minutes.

During the baking process, baking should be periodically lubricated. When ready, the dish should be slightly ruddy and risen. If the filling spreads, do not worry, because the taste and juiciness will not go anywhere because of this.

Such buns are usually used with milk. They are great as an addition to any meal. Despite the high calorie content, this dish never allows girls who follow their own figure to pass them by.