Portugal: Must Try Foods you Need to Know

Because I was there for a month I had the opportunity to eat a LOT of food. For the first time in a long time I felt a tummy start to grow. I frequented one local joint a few times a week. For five euros you got soup, main dish, coffee, and a drink (a JUG of wine is the best one to get). Not a fancy place, but always delicious, they served up traditional, homemade food. Sadly, my phone finally died (new, shitty phone bought!) so pictures are lacking.

Pasteis de Nata

This is an egg custard tart. Sweets are super common and eggy in Portugal because they have so many churches, nunneries, monasteries, etc. As gifts, nuns were often given eggs and didn’t know how to utilize them all. Solution? Sweets!

Feijaoda

Classic bean stew made with beef and pork. My go-to for Friday lunches. I ate this two times a week and don’t have photographic evidence!

Bacalhau

This is dried and salted cod, one of the best known dishes in Portugal. Its nickname is ‘the faithful friend’ and although it is nice, it was too salty for me at times and I preferred feijaoda most of the time.

Wine/Port

Like Spain, Portugal is known for wine. In Porto, it is known for port. Port is a sweet, red wine (way too much for me) and it is super common to go on port brewery tours.

Sardinhas Assadas

A common side dish, these sardines are roasted whole on a grill and seasoned with sea salt. Eat them as they are – bones and heads intact.

Francesinha

Considered ‘spicy’, francesinha has two thick slices of bread filled with meat, covered with melted cheese and tomato sauce. It was interesting, not bad, but not amazing.

Yummmm, now I am thinking about feijaoda.

T