Portugal

lenguado (sole), and sweet-tasting pescada
(hake). Less appealing to the average diner,
but preferred by many discriminating palates,
are eiros (eels), polvo (octopus), and
lampreas (lampreys, a seasonal food in the
northern Minho district).
Piri-piri is a sauce made of hot pepper
from Angola. Jennings Parrott once wrote:
“After tasting it you will understand why
Angola wanted to get it out of the country.”
Unless you’re extremely brave, consider
ordering something else. Travelers
accustomed to hot, peppery food, however,
might like it.
Porto residents are known as tripe eaters.
The local specialty is dobrada (tripe with
beans), a favorite of workers. The cozido á
portuguesa is another popular dish. This
stew often features both beef and pork,
along with fresh vegetables and sausages.
The chief offering of the beer tavern is bife
na frigideira (beef in mustard sauce), usually
served piping hot in a brown ceramic dish
with a fried egg on top. Thinly sliced iscas
(calves’ livers) are usually well prepared and
sautéed with onion.
Portuguese meat, especially beef and
veal, is less satisfying. The best meat in
Portugal is porco (pork), usually tender and
juicy. Especially good is porco alentejano
(fried pork in a succulent sauce with baby
clams), often cooked with herb-flavored
onions and tomatoes. Cabrito (roast kid) is
another treat, flavored with herbs and
garlic. Chicken tends to be hit-or-miss and
is perhaps best when frango no espeto, or
spit-roasted golden brown. In season,
game is good, especially perdiz (partridge)
and codorniz estufada (pan-roasted quail).
Queijo (cheese) is usually eaten separately
and not with fruit. The most common
varieties of Portuguese cheese are
made from sheep or goat’s milk. A popular
variety is queijo da serra (literally, cheese
from the hills). Other well-liked cheeses
are queijo do Alentejo and queijo de Azeitao.
Many prefer queijo Flamengo (similar to
Dutch Gouda).
While locked away in isolated convents
and monasteries, Portuguese nuns and
monks have created some original sweet
concoctions. Many of these desserts are
sold in little pastry shops throughout Portugal.
In Lisbon, Porto, and a few other
cities, you can visit a salão de chá (tea
salon) at 4pm to sample these delicacies.
Regrettably, too few restaurants feature
regional desserts.
The most typical dessert is arroz doce,
cinnamon-flavored rice pudding. Flan, or
caramel custard, appears on all menus. If
you’re in Portugal in summer, ask for a
peach from Alcobaça. One of these juicy,
succulent yellow fruits will spoil you forever
for all other peaches. Sintra is known
for its strawberries, Setúbal for its orange
groves, the Algarve for its almonds and
figs, Elvas for its plums, the Azores for
their pineapples, and Madeira for its passion
fruit. Some people believe that if you
eat too much of the latter, you’ll go insane.
Portugal doesn’t offer many egg dishes,
except for omelets. However, eggs are used
extensively in many sweets. Although egg
yolks cooked in sugar might not sound
appealing, you might want to try some of
the more original offerings. The best
known are ovos moles (soft eggs sold in
colorful barrels) that originate in Aveiro.
From the same district capital comes ovos
de fio (a sweet dish made of eggs and
sugar).
WINE For generations, much of what
the English-speaking world knew about
Portugal came from the reports that wine
merchants brought back to Britain from
the wineries of the Douro Valley. Today
Portugal is famous throughout the world
for its port wines, and many parts of central
and northern Portugal are covered
with well-tended vines sprouting from
intricately laid-out terraces.
• Port: Known for decades as the Englishman’s
wine, port was once the drink
uncorked for toasting in England. In
gentlemen’s clubs, vintage port (only
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PORTUGAL IN DEPTH 2
EATING & DRINKING IN PORTUGAL