Bacon. There's no shortage of pork in Portuguese cuisine. And you can definitely buy bacon here — at least a version of it. It's just not the British version.
Benito describes the taste of Portuguese bacon as having more of a ham flavor with a kind of Spanish chorizo aftertaste like spicy and sweet paprika. It is usually fried in olive oil at medium temperature until it becomes a crispy brown.
Portuguese dishes include meats (pork, beef, poultry mainly also game and others), seafood (fish, crustaceans such as lobster, crab, shrimps, prawns, octopus, and molluscs such as scallops, clams and barnacles), vegetables and legumes and desserts (cakes being the most numerous).
The most common items you'll find in a Portuguese breakfast are: bread, sliced cheese, sliced ham, bread, jam, and a milky coffee. Sometimes it's just toast without the ham and cheese, but the common denominators are almost always bread and a milky coffee like a galão or a meia de leite.
Some of the most famous Portuguese dishes include piri piri chicken, francesinha, bacalhau, and pastel de nata. Portugal is also quite famous for its wines.
Bacalhau, which translates to cod in English, is Portugal's national dish, a symbol of the country's identity, and one of the most popular foods in restaurants across the country. Bacalhau is such a go-to staple in Portuguese cuisine that it even has an endearing nickname: fiel amigo, or faithful friend.
Portugal is known for its delicious meats, especially pork. The country's climate and landscape are ideal for raising pigs, and as a result, pork dishes are some of the most popular in Portuguese cuisine.
The Portuguese have a soft spot for bread and every meal must have a good slice, either a buttered toast in the morning, to accompany a meal or even as dessert!
Pastel de nata
It's probably Portugal's most famous food, and there's a good reason for that. Pastéis de nata (or Portuguese custard tarts as they're known outside of Portugal) are just delicious.
In Portugal, restaurants open for lunch starting at 12:00 p.m. or 12:30 p.m. but don't usually fill up until around 1:00 p.m. Dinner is most commonly taken at 9:00 p.m. or 9:30 p.m., but restaurants do open as early as 7:00 p.m.
Typical Lunch in Portugal (12 p.m. to 2 p.m.)
These menus usually include a soup, prato do dia (dish of the day), dessert, and a coffee. If they're really in a rush, they'll order something quick at the counter like a soup and a bifana (pork sandwich).
Many of the ingredients used in Portuguese dishes are healthy foods (fish, vegetables, fruits, herbs, grains, etc.), however, many of those healthy ingredients end up being fried rather than roasted or baked — plus, the Portuguese love a healthy dousing of olive oil!
The difference in shape is due to the fact that each style of bacon comes from different cuts of pork. American bacon comes from pork belly, which is a much fattier cut of meat. British bacon, on the other hand, comes from the loin which is a much leaner cut.
Rojões are cuts of pork from the thigh or belly fried with lard in an iron pot. Originating in northern Portugal, the best-known dish is Minho-style rojões that also uses redenho—the fat from the intestines.
Black Pork
The Portuguese love their pork, and no pork is more highly regarded than porco preto. Black pork gets its name from the gray to black (and sometimes red) hue of the native Iberian pig's skin.
But what do the Portuguese eat for breakfast? Normally the Portuguese eat toast with butter or a sandwich or croissant with a slice of ham or cheese. With this, they usually have Portuguese drinks such as drinking a milky coffee or freshly squeezed orange juice.
Walking around Lisbon, particularly in the city centre and touristic areas, you'll see cafés advertising full cooked breakfast options, featuring pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages and more.
Starting with food, it is true that the Portuguese eat a lot of rice, so much so that the country ranks #1 in Europe for rice consumption!
The most important meal of the day in Portugal is lunch. Portuguese love food and wine, in fact, Portuguese are the major consumers of wine in the world.
Licor Beirão
Simply known as Beirão, this national drink of Portugal is one you don't want to miss! Possibly the most popular Portuguese liqueur on the market, this drink originated in the Beiras region and is an excellent option for those with a sweet tooth.
Conventional Portuguese Vegetables
Fava beans, red beans, white beans, black eyed beans, pumpkins, collards, kale, potatoes, onions, carrots, etc are all grown far and wide in Portugal.
Roasted lamb and goatling are the most common Christmas Day meals, although there are some regions where Portuguese eat turkey. Turkey was common in the past for wealthy families, and it was often eaten after the Midnight Mass.