The 20 most famous dishes of Portugal
Portuguese cooking is a sailor's cuisine, ruled by salt cod (bacalhau) said to have 365 recipes, alongside grilled sardines, seafood and famous egg-based sweets.
1Bacalhau à Brás
Shredded salt cod with matchstick fries, onion and soft-scrambled egg, garnished with olives and parsley —…
2Bacalhau com Natas
Salt cod, potatoes and onion in a cream-and-béchamel sauce, baked until golden.
3Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá
Salt cod with boiled potatoes, onion, hard-boiled eggs and olives, baked in olive oil — from Porto.
4Pastel de Nata
Egg custard tarts in crisp puff pastry with tops scorched in a blazing oven, dusted with cinnamon — the…
5Caldo Verde
Green soup of potatoes and finely shredded kale with slices of chouriço, served at festivals.
6Francesinha
Porto's mighty sandwich of layered meats, smothered in melted cheese and a spicy tomato sauce, served with…
7Sardinhas Assadas
Fresh salted sardines grilled over charcoal and served on bread with roasted peppers — the food of Lisbon's…
8Cozido à Portuguesa
A Portuguese boiled dinner of mixed meats and sausages with vegetables, cabbage and potatoes, served with…
9Arroz de Marisco
Soupy rice with tomato and coriander, prawns, mussels and clams, served in its pot.
10Frango Piri-Piri
Spatchcocked chicken grilled over charcoal and basted with fiery piri-piri sauce with garlic and lemon.
11Bifana
Thin slices of meat marinated with garlic and paprika in a soft roll — a popular snack. Use chicken or beef…
12Polvo à Lagareiro
Boiled then roasted octopus with smashed baby potatoes and lots of olive oil and garlic.
13Cataplana de Marisco
Seafood cooked in a clam-shaped sealed copper pan with tomato, peppers and coriander — the dish of the…
14Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato
Clams cooked in olive oil, garlic, coriander and lemon, served with bread to mop up the juices.
15Açorda Alentejana
Alentejo bread soup: stale bread in a broth with garlic, coriander and olive oil, topped with a poached egg.
16Arroz Doce
Rice pudding with lemon peel, cinnamon and egg yolks, decorated with cinnamon patterns on top.
17Bolo de Bolacha
A no-bake cake of Maria biscuits dipped in coffee layered with buttercream.
18Pão de Ló
A very light Portuguese sponge of eggs, sugar and a little flour, served at Easter.
19Prego no Pão
A thin garlic steak sandwich in a Portuguese roll, often eaten at the end of a restaurant meal.
20Feijoada Transmontana
A red or white bean stew with mixed meats, sausages and cabbage from northern Portugal (use beef and beef…