On the food front Portugal is as varied as the country is as a destination. Simple or grand. Traditional or innovative. Dishes packed with rich, robust flavours. The Foody Traveller looks at some of the treats in store for visitors to Portugal.
It was the Romans who introduced wheat to the Portuguese region known today as Alentejo, along with olives and grapes. Similarly with the arrival of the Moors came rice, citrus fruit and almond trees. But when Henry the Navigator sent his caravels off on their Voyages of Discovery in search of uncharted lands did he realise that along with the silks and gems they would bring back other influential treasures; treasures which would have a profound and long term influence on the Portuguese diet? For also in the holds of those little ships were strange plants and fruits like tomatoes, pineapples, nuts, chili peppers, tea and coffee and spices.
And during the following centuries when Portugal colonised much of the globe those early settlers would take with them memories of the old country in the form of recipes and food. For instance, Brazil serves caldo verde (Portuguese potato and kale soup) and Goa – vindaloo derived from the Portuguese vinha de alhos , originally a dish cooked with wine and garlic. Portuguese influence has even extended to the Japanese love of confectionary.
And probably because of its colonial heritage, as much as its Mediterranean climate perfect for growing plentiful varieties of fruit and vegetables, dishes sing with the flavours of fresh herbs and spices.
Obviously with such an extensive coastline it is little wonder that all forms of seafood feature largely on menus – everything from a simple sardine to weird looking creatures from the deep.
National dishes
The national dish is arguably bacalhau, dried, salted cod. It has been said that that the Portuguese have 365 different ways of cooking it, one for each day of the year – certainly restaurants serve it in many guises. Bacalhau dates back to the explorer seamen who, having discovered the fishing grounds off Newfoundland, had to find some way of preserving it so it lasted the long voyage home. They discovered that by salting and drying it until it was as stiff as a board it would keep for months and needed only rinsing well and re-constituting in water for cooking.
Other ‘national’ dishes apart from the ubiquitous sardine include:
Soups
Açordas, bread soups made from stale bread and stock, sometimes garnished with coriander leaves and a poached egg.
Caldo verde, soup made with potato, onion and cabbage/kale.
Meat and Fish
Cozido à Portuguesa, a thick meat and vegetable stew originating from the north of Portugal.
Caldeirada, a fish stew cooked with onions, garlic and tomatoes.
Feijoada, a stew of cured meats and kidney or butter beans.
Leitão assado, roast suckling pig.
Tripas, tripe cooked slowly with ham and white beans originating from Oporto.
Deserts
Arroz doce, rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon.
Pasteis de nata, small custard tarts often sprinkled with cinnamon.
Pudim flan, a crème caramel.
Queijada, small, sweet, cheese tarts originating from the Alentejo.
Look out for:
Cheese: Virtually all mainland Portuguese cheeses are made from either sheep or goats’ milk. They vary enormously in flavour from nutty to piquant, from mild and mellow to ones with a bite, from hard to creamy. Particularly noteworthy are Évora, Queijdo da Serra, Nisa, Rabaçal, Beja and Serpa. Do not be surprised to see small cheeses stored in oil.
Cured meats: Look out for the superb dry cured hams and sausages of Portugal served either as a cold platter or added to stews. Be warned however, chouriço (similar to chorizo) can be highly spiced, as can linguiça. The local presunto (prosciutto) is excellent.
Olive Oil: The olive oil is deliciously robust, fruity and very aromatic. Try it as a dip for some of the good artisan, country bread.
Pastries: Portuguese desserts are usually very sweet and rich with eggs. Whilst it is believed that the Moors introduced the idea of combining eggs and sugar to Portugal it was the nuns in the 18th centuries who turned egg yolks and sugar into sweet-toothed versions of heaven, probably in order to raise money for their convents. It is said that the egg whites where used to starch their wimples.
Piri-piri: The Portuguese love the explosive heat of the tiny, red chili peppers, so much so that a bottle of olive oil infused with the crushed peppers is often served on the table as an accompaniment to dishes.
Cataplana
(See main article picture above.)
A cataplana is a domed cooking pot, resembling two woks placed on top of each other, which has given its name to a seafood dish popular in the Algarve. It is traditionally made from copper.
Wine
Portugal is one of the world’s major wine producers, renowned for its variety of wines including Port and Madeira.
Bairrada: robust, fruity reds and somewhat spicy white wines from the area between Porto and Coimbra.
Colares: vines producing red and white wines grow in sandy soil region not far from Lisbon. Both very good, especially a mature red.
Dão: elegant red wines, which are sometimes compared to a Cabernet Sauvignon. The Dão valley also produces a full bodied white wine.
Douro: The Port producing region of Portugal also producing good table and sparkling wines – white, red and rosé.
Moscatel de Setúbal: a fruity dessert wine.
Vinho Verde: chiefly delicious crisp, light, fruity slightly pétillant white wines, though there red vinho verde from the north of Portugal. Look out for Alvarinho. Try the red with fresh grilled sardines!
There are also excellent wines being produced in the Ribatejo vineyards and the Alentejo and Algarve districts.
Hennings Wine Merchants offer a selection of good Portuguese wine. www.henningswine.co.uk