Portugal-Info!

Food and Gastronomy

A visit to Portugal also brings with it the chance to enjoy the rich diversity of flavours offered by Portuguese cuisine.

The people eat lots of fish, meat, vegetables and fruit. Although there is loads of fish in the waters around, the dried and salted codfish (bacalhau), which is often even imported, is the national food.One of the most effusive invitations to visit Portugal is addressed to you by its regional specialities, of which the various cheeses are amongst some of the most flavoursome.

From the Alentejo, there are the Queijos de Niza (made from ewe´s and goat´s milk). These are hard handmade cheeses, yellowish-white in colour, with an oily texture, a strong aroma and a slightly acid taste. There are also the queijos de Évora, made from ewe`s milk, which are small in size and famous for their strong, spicy flavour.

In some countries you have turkey for christmas meal but in Portugal there is traditionally cooked codfish with olive oil, potatoes, chickpeas and cabbage. In most of the regions eating meat is rare, although the Alentejo is well-known for its pig-breeding and the trás-os-montes for their smoked and pickled meat- and sausage specialities. The wide variety of traditional cakes and sweets available in Portugal means that you will easily find something to enjoy.

Once again, the only real difficulty is in making your choice.

Tip! If you want to eat in a restaurant it might be good to know that Portuguese people usually have lunch between 12h and 14h and dinner between 19h and 22h. As tax and service are included in the prices, tips are just voluntarily. If there is good service around 5 to 10% of the bill would be suitable as tip.

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