La typical Portuguese cuisine, perhaps somewhat underestimated, offers unique dishes and flavors. It is said that there is even a recipe for cod for every day of the year. Fish, and especially cod, are the main dishes of this beautiful region.
Unlike Italy, in Portugal there are no first or second courses, but there are “entradas,” very similar to our appetizers, soups, which are really very tasty, and single-course meals, including the many recipes that focus on the delicious cod. But let’s go into detail and see some of these delicacies.
Typical Portuguese dishes
Bacalhau com natas
Let’s start with “Bacalhau com natas”, that is cod with cream, a dish that will make even those who do not like this fish lick their lips. A delicious dish made of Cod, potatoes, onion, béchamel sauce, and cream.
Bacalhau à Braga
Another dish based on cod is “Bacalhau à Braga”, in which the ingredients are cod, potatoes, olives, onion, and parsley. To prepare it, just slice the cod and potatoes, then mixing everything with olives, parsley, and finally onions, you get this very tasty typical Lusitanian dish.
Francesinha
Cod is not the only Portuguese specialty, indeed, there are many savory meat-based recipes, mainly pork. Among the delicious alternative recipes to fish, we definitely mention the “Francesinha“, a typical dish from Oporto, simple yet very hearty. The “little French lady” (Francesinha) is a sandwich with ham and cheese served on a plate with fried egg, fries, and meat sauce in the middle.
Porco à Alentejana
Of a completely different nature is “Cozido à portuguesa”, that is Portuguese stew, rich in meats, sausages, and vegetables, all accompanied by rice and beans. A variation of the Portuguese stew is the typical dish of the Alentejo region: “porco à Alentejana”. This tasty dish is very special because it combines two seemingly incompatible ingredients: pork and clams.
Rojões à moda do Minho
A unique blend of flavors is also the “Rojões à moda do Minho“, a dish from the North of Portugal, more precisely from the city of Minho, made with pork liver, cooked blood, chestnuts, paprika, lard, pork leg, and tripe.
Tripas a moda do Porto
This last ingredient is the absolute protagonist of another very famous Lusitanian dish, the “Tripas a moda do Porto”, a mix of legend and popular tradition made of salted meat previously cooked in a stew of fatty meats and sausages, to be served with dark bread.
