Foods of Portugal

Years ago, a Portuguese friend took me to his favorite restaurant, and that lunch spoiled my memory of Portuguese food. So I wasn't expecting much when we visited Portugal earlier this month, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Our first stop was Porto. Images of pastel de Nata (the famous egg custard tart), pastel de bacalhau (salt cod fritter) and sardines greeted us everywhere we turned. 

Pastel de nata is virtually offered in every café. Our favorite is at Mantegaria in Porto. Having one right out of the oven is to die for. Flaky and crispy on the outside, soft and creamy in the center; it is melt-in-your mouth delicious. 

We sampled the pastel de bacalhau (salt cod fritter) at Casa Portuguesa. Located by the Clerigos Church and Tower, it is a neat place to stop in for the iconic Portuguese snack. The open kitchen shows  someone demonstrating how the bacalhau is made. The second floor features a library with a dazzling decor and clean, free-of-charge restrooms.

Bacalhau at Pica Pau

We love canned sardines and eat them often. You can find the ubiquitous sardine in restaurants, stores and markets. We purchased some canned sardines from the Bolhão Market and had them for lunch at our airbnb. These Portuguese canned sardines, available in many flavors, are hands down the best we've ever tasted.

Some signature Portuguese dishes we had to try included the octopus, cod fish, grilled sea bream, stewed pork cheeks, and the multi-meat sandwich called Francesinha. Everything was fabulous; the sandwich not so much.

Cod and octopus

Grilled sea bream (dourada)

pork cheek stew

Francesinha, a multi-meat sandwich with gravy over it

We were thrilled to see a couple of Christmas markets in Lisbon. They were very festive, but the food - paella and suckling pig sandwich - were disappointing. The sangria and gulhwein were ok. This time of year, a lot of street vendors were selling roasted chestnuts. Dusted with salt, they were soft and tender.

Street vendors roasting chestnuts on an open fire

In Lisbon, we stayed at Residencial Florescente, across from a concert hall on a street dotted with restaurants. Armed with menu, the touts will try to lure us into their establishments every time we walked by. Our hotel has its own restaurant. Bistro 99 serves an amazing breakfast, with a great variety of items, from fresh fruits and yogurt, to parma ham and cheeses, along with the usual scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and sauteed vegetables. Not to mention baked goods - pastel de nata, pain au chocolate, croissant, cakes, and wonderful American-style coffee! The food was so good we ate lunch there one rainy afternoon. We had tapas and everything was superb! It was arguably our best meal in Portugal.

Prawns with garlic and chili

Grilled oyster mushrooms with aioli

Octopus in olive oil over new potatoes

This trip definitely changed my outlook on Portuguese food. The next time I bite into an egg custard tart or a canned sardine, I will be thinking about the time I spent in Portugal.

This post is shared on Image-in-ing and Elizabeth's blog Altered Book Lover.

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