After 3 trips to Portugal and a visit to 8 towns, I officially feel qualified to provide some information on Portuguese food. Let me be honest…I haven’t tried every single thing on this list but I have eaten the majority. Portuguese cuisine is very heavy in red meat, fish, and sandwiches. Keep scrolling to read a list of 20 things to eat in Portugal.
1. Caldo Verde (green cabbage soup)
2. Bacalhau (cod fish)
3. Sardinhas Asadas (grilled sardines)
4. Bifana (pork sandwich)
5. Piri Piri Chicken
6. Polvo à la Lagareiro (octopus & potatoes)
7. Pastel de Nata (egg tart)
8. Arroz de Marisco (seafood rice stew)
9. Queijo da Serra da Estrela (sheep cheese)
10. Vinho Verde (type of wine)
11. Ginjinha (cherry liquor served in an edible chocolate cup)
12. Travesseiros de Sintra (pastry)
13. Vinho do Porto (Sweet red wine)
14. Sagres (beer)
15. Bitoque (steak with egg, rice, fries, and salad)
16. Francesinha (sandwich with ham, egg, sausage, steak, cheese, and covered in tomato & beer sauce)
17. Lapas (small snails)
18. Tremoços (lupini beans-popular bar snack)
19. Arroz de Pato (rice with duck, chorizo, and wine)
20. Prego (steak sandwich)
I hope my list of 20 things to eat in Portugal helps you with your trip planning :). You may also want to read my list of things to do in Porto or see snippets of my trip to central Portugal.
Portugal is on our shortlist of places to see in the nest few years. I’ve spent time in Spain but I’m actually unfamilar with the cuisine in this country. This list is a great jumping off point for all the great things to eat in Portugal.
Oooh useful! We’re heading back to Portugal in the autumn, so I can try as many as I can. Arroz de Pato sounds really good! 😉
You didn’t include much about each of the dishes. Which was your favourite?
Thanks for the feedback. Where in Portugal are you going? and Polvo à Lagareiro (octopus with potatoes) is definitely my favourite.
I was in Portugal for only a short time but I loved the food. Ginja in Obidos was an unexpected treat. I had a dish (don’t know waht it’s called) but it was a type of stew that was served on a terra cotta shingle! And it was great.
Yes the ginja in Obidos is so good! Never heard of that stew but I can imagine it was nice 🙂
We ate so well when we visited Portugal. Your post was a great reminder of why we loved eating our way around the country. We had so much octopus I was sure we would grow extra arms. And this pastel de nada were so addictive. But I must admit the Francesinha sandwiches just were not my thing.
Yes I love eating octopus in Portugal! Weirdly enough, I never tried the Francesinha because everyone I asked told me they didn’t like it.