Petiscos (Savoury dishes):
Amêijoas à bulhão pato – Mussels in a delicious broth made with garlic, fresh coriander leaves, pepper and loads of lemon juice.
Azeitonas – Small black olives preserved in a myriad of ways.
Caracois – Smallish snails that are cooked with piri-piri sauce (not traditionally Portuguese but originated in Mozambique), garlic, onions and herbs.
Choquinhos fritos com tinta – Squid fried in their own ink.
Enguias de escabeche – Small eels fried in a very spicy marinade and garnished with fried onion rings.
Espadarte fumado – Smoked swordfish that has been cut into fine slices.
Figado oder iscas – Very thin slices of fried liver, served cold on crunchy fresh Portuguese bread.
Figo com presunto (figs with ham and rosemary) – This is well known all over the world and most European countries have a variation on the theme.
Filete de pascada – Deep-fried crumbed hake, served cold with fresh bread.
Grão com bacalhau – A simple salad made with chick peas, dried cod and onions in a sauce made from vinegar and oil.
Melão com presunto – Melon served with cured ham.
Moelas – Extremely spicy chicken stomachs.
Pimentos assados – Fried pepperoni (bell peppers) seasoned with garlic, salt, ground paprika and marinated in vinegar and olive oil.
Salada de bacalhau – Dried cod marinated in vinegar and olive oil and spiced with ingredients that vary from region to region.
Salada de feijão frade – A salad of small white beans with finely chopped onions, hardboiled eggs, chopped fresh parsley and chilli in vinegar and oil.
Salgados (Salty/ Salted dishes):
Rissóis (fried pastry) – Filled with crab or meat and covered with a crispy layer of choux pastry. They are then crumbed and deep fried.
Bolhinos de bacalhau – Croquettes or dumplings made from dried cod, potatoes and herbs and deep fried.
Empada or Folhado de galinha – Pastries filled with minced chicken and are either baked or deep fried.
Bola de carne (de fiambre or de chouriça) – Bread filled with minced meat, baked ham or the famous spicy sausage known as chorizo.
Pastéis de nata (or de Belém):
These little pastries were created before the 18th century by Catholic nuns and the locals have been eating them ever since.
These cakes, when warm out of the oven and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar are heavenly.
Bread:
Bread in Portugal is quite different to the bread in the rest of Europe.
Known as ‘pão’ in Portugal, and made from wheat, rye, maize or a mixture, this bread is often baked in wooden ovens.
The breads are usually very crusty, and each village has it’s own recipe.
Bread is eaten with almost everything.
Portuguese Sausages:
Paio de Barrancos – Made with the meat of black pigs and flavoured with paprika.
Paiola – Made with Iberian pork, chunks of fat and seasoned with garlic, pepper and parika.
Salsichão – Made with Iberian pork, a fine salami type sausage that is surprisingly low in fat and spiced with whole peppercorns.
Paio – Made with pork loin, lightly smoked and decadently fatty.
Chouriço caseiro com vinho – Dark homemade paprika sausage made with wine.
Chouriço – The classic fatty, paprika sausage used in many dishes throughout the country.
Throwing a Portuguese-style bash? Click here to see Food24’s Portuguese party menu!