Experience an outdoor dinner in one of the many esplanade restaurants in Lisbon, starting with seafood, followed by fresh grilled fish or meat or chicken piri-piri, accompanied by one of the red Ribatejo wines or a dry white Bucelas. Try Lisbon's best known custard cake, the pastéis de Belén and have an expresso, or bica, as the locals say it.
Portuguese and Lisbon cuisine is characterised by rich, filling and full-flavoured dishes that are cheap to prepare. The influence of Portugal's former colonial possessions is clear, especially in the wide variety of spices used. These include piri piri - small, fiery chilli peppers, as well as cinnamon, vanilla and saffron. There are also Arab and Moorish influences, especially in the south of the country. Garlic is widely used, as are herbs such as coriander and parsley.
Pastéis de Belém - Lisboa, photo by José Manuel
The people of Lisbon are sea-farers nation at heart, and this is reflected in the amount of fish and seafood they consume. Mainly is bacalhau, or salt cod, which is the Portuguese national dish and of which it is said that there are more than 365 ways to cook, one for every day of the year. But sardines are also popular, especially when grilled, as well as octopus, hake, lamprey and a variety of shellfish.
Meat is widely used too, especially chicken, pork and kid. Roasts and stews are the most common ways of preparing these but they like their vegetables too are you’ll find a lot of tomatoes, cabbage and onions, all served up with rice and potatoes.
Originally from Lisbon, but popular nationwide too, are pasteis de nata. These are small extremely rich tarts are absolutely delicious – a must eat.
Portugal formerly had a large empire, and the cuisines have influences in both directions. The Portuguese influence is strongly evident in Brazilian cuisine, which features its own versions of Portuguese dishes such as feijoada and caldeirada (fish stew). Other former colonies include the Indian province of Goa, where dishes such as vindaloo shows the Portuguese influence in its pairing of vinegar and garlic.
ATOP members: Destination Portugal, Keytel International
