Lying along the coast, Portugal is well known for some of the best seafood dishes and port wine in Europe. The country is also famous for plenty of other snacks and specialities. Let’s explore the wonderful Portuguese cuisine through this virtual food tour.
Seafood for dinner
The top must-try category of food in Portugal is definitely seafood. There are plenty of seafood dishes to try in restaurants and fresh ingredients in supermarkets to buy. You’ll find massive shrimp, squid, mussels and all kinds of fish. Feel free to enjoy seafood every day in Lisbon! My top pick is the Rampa Restaurant in Lisbon, which offers most seafood dishes (with additional bread, vegetables and potatoes) for as low as only 5 to 6 EUR (roughly 6 to 7 USD) per dish. Keep in mind that it’s common in Portuguese restaurants for the staff to bring out lots of dishes without your order. These are not for free, but you don’t need to pay if you don’t eat them.
Full lunch set for a low price
In many local restaurants in Porto, you can find a typical Portuguese lunch set including soup, a main course with meat, salad and rice or fries, dessert and an espresso, for only 5 to 7 EUR per person (roughly 6 to 8 USD). Small local restaurants are usually cheaper than big touristic places. Look for Novo Mondo restaurant (73 Rua des Caldeireiros) , which is on a tiny street corner in the historic centre. Though the staff do not speak much English, you can still be understood enough to order, and not so many tourists are aware of the awesome quality food you can find here.
Heavy snack - the little French girl sandwich
Visitors to Porto must also try the Francesinha (“French girl”) sandwich made with bread, wet-cured ham, fresh sausage, steak or roast meat and covered with melted cheese and thick tomato and beer sauce. The Francesinha is usually served with bread and fries. Dipping the bread in the tomato sauce is one of the best parts of this dish.
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Light snack - Cod or Bacalhau
Another snack that Portugal is famous for is its cod or ‘bacalhau’ in Portuguese. Cod is usually deep fried or made into mini pancakes. One of the best places to enjoy cod, as well as many other snacks with beer in Lisbon, is at the Tasca Pombalina Tapas Bar at Rossio Square right next to McDonalds. A couple of great areas for tapas bars and restaurants in Lisbon lie in the Bairro Alto neighborhood and Rossio Square.
Portugal Tour Guide
Ana Cristina Paiva
I am an australian-born Portuguese living in Lisbon since I was 8 years old. I studied Tourism and became a Licensed Guide and I absolutely love my job! The Portuguese landscape, history, food, traditions have won me over and I hope to share all this with you! I live in an historical neighborhood and believe that the best way to get to know a city is by walking. During the tours I hope to answer your questions and curiosities, proving a memorable and fun learing experience.
Tours by Ana-cristina
Plenty of desserts - egg tarts and eclairs
Another snack that Portugal is also famous for is the egg tart or egg custard tart. You can enjoy a cup of Portuguese espresso or take-away an egg tart from plenty of pastry stores around Portugal. Another popular sweet dessert here is the eclair. Originally coming from France, the eclair is an oblong pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with icing. An egg tart or eclair should cost approximately 1 EUR (roughly 1.5 USD). One of the most famous stores to find these yummy specialities in Porto is da Leitaria da Quinta do Paço. Since 1920, they’ve claimed to have one of the best eclairs in the city. I guess you should go and find out!
Drinks to complement
Culinary culture in Portugal can’t be enjoyed without wine and coffee. The Portuguese love their port wine from Porto and espresso coffee is usually served after every meal. You can easily find this famous port wine in any local supermarket, but make sure to try the genuine wine that was produced originally in Porto.
History
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