26 Traditional Portuguese Foods

TRADITIONAL ALGARVE RECIPES

Algarve is the region further south of Portugal, that makes border to the north by the Alentejo region and the south by the Atlantic Ocean. It is the southernmost region of all, becoming the most important tourist region in Portugal and one of the most important in Europe. Its temperate Mediterranean climate and the delicious and healthy cuisine are attributes that attract millions of domestic and foreign tourists every year and make the Algarve the most visited region and one of the most developed in the country.
The typical Algarve architecture with typical Moorish terraces and chimneys, the almond, orange and other fruit trees are Moorish heritage rooted in the region over the centuries, making known a vast historical heritage, cultural and artistic.
The Algarve Gastronomy is based on ancient traditions and products, with emphasis on all fish and seafood to this tasty coast, but also pork, cooked beans and cabbage and pastries based on eggs and nuts, as almond or fig.
The rich and varied cuisine joins recipes from coastal and inland regions, such as:

TRADITIONAL CENTRAL REGION RECIPES

This region is located in the heart of Portugal, bounded on the north by the Northern Region, east with Spain, the south with the Alentejo and Lisbon Region and to the west with the Atlantic Ocean. Presents itself as a rich region in history and heritage and it’s a land of hospitable people.
In the Central Region are very different realities, from large cities and developed that share inheritances with villages lost in time. The Atlantic coast contrasts with the green of the mountains and the inland mountains.
In gastronomy this diversity of landscapes and realities is reflected by combining the knowledge of ancestors with the best taste at the table. In the coastal zone we can find delicious fresh fish and seafood, in the mountainous region the quality of meats and pasture fields allow famous sausages, cheeses, honey and quality wines. Stands out among vegetable products, the predominance of the potato, kale, Portuguese cabbage, tomato, turnip, the turnip greens, green beans, dry beans and onion. In the meat, pork is by far the most used, it follows this meat the goat and / or lamb, most used in the manufacture of festive dishes.

SOME OF THE RECIPES ARE:

LISBON TRADITIONAL RECIPES

The Lisbon region comprises part of the district of Lisbon and Setúbal. Limited to north with the Central Region, northeast, east and south with the Alentejo, and to south and west with the Atlantic Ocean.
In this region is located the capital city of Portugal and its greater metropolitan area, full of places of tourist and heritage interest. Lisbon it’s one of the cities with most tourist demand of the European continent, known for its light and unique charm, with famous beaches and diversified, with excellent infrastructure and roads, as well as a wide range of restaurants and hotels. Also reveals an incredibly jagged coastline, with many rivers, mountain ranges, mountainous areas, agricultural growing areas and industrial zones, marked by cities developed at all levels contrasting with small villages that survived the passage of time or by a large density of residential and suburban areas. This region reveals several monuments and landscapes considered World Heritage by UNESCO, Parks and Natural and Protected Landscapes.
The force of the sea and the rivers that cross here is present in its gastronomy, with the most varied dishes and well fresh seasonings, but also many other products from the fertile soils of the region, as various vegetables, fruit or goat cheese and sheep. Quality are also the vineyards of the region, which enable the production of fine wines.
This region is very rich in traditional dishes due to its extensive coastline and land bathed by the river Tejo, the region offers a wide variety of recipes with fresh fish and seafood. However many traditional dishes are also confectioned with the meat region, especially goat and lamb.

WE POINT OUT THE FOLLOWING RECIPES:

PORTO AND NORTHERN TRADITIONAL RECIPES

Region of customs and traditions, considered the cradle of the nation, being bounded on the north and east by Spain in the west to the Atlantic Ocean and south with the vast Central Region. It presents a vast territory, with well disparate realities, from developed and prosperous cities to rural and mountainous villages lost in the idyllic landscapes of the Minho or Tras-os-Montes, remembering the great historical heritage of the region. In the North was born in the twelfth century, the first king of Portugal, who headed south conquering territories and forming Portugal.
In the northern region exist territories as diverse as the city of Porto, the second most important in the country, developed, rich and also historical, and the community villages of Tras-os-Montes and Alto Minho, of difficult access, almost depopulated and so traditional.
Full of natural parks with protected landscapes and species in danger of extinction, it is a region with a more rigorous climate and a more luxuriant vegetation where the soil has been wisely adapted to many different types of agriculture.
The Gastronomy of the Northern Region reveals a huge agricultural variety, fertile pastures, wise and ancient knowledge and expertise, which varies by landscape. With influences of the Atlantic, the fresh fish and seafood are an asset. Also presents quality meat, famous sausages, sheep cheese and goat, and the internationally renowned red wine, green, white and rosé.

WE HIGHLIGHT THE FOLLOWING RECIPES: