Sapateira recheada, or stuffed crab, is the highlight of any seafood meal in Portugal. You can order it on its own or as part of a seafood platter. The delicious spread that comes inside the shell combines fresh crab meat with mayo, onions, mustard, boiled egg, and paprika.
Portugal is a great destination for foodies, especially seafood lovers. The Portuguese coast supplies some of the freshest fish and seafood in the world and fish is the star of many dishes in the country's gastronomical scene (surely you have heard about “Bacalhau”).
The fleets of codfish fishing boats guaranteed 70% of national codfish consumption, helping to make the Portuguese the world's largest consumers of this fish. And the codfish became the “Loyal Friend“, symbol of culture and Portugal.
Bacalhau (dried, salted cod) is Portugal's national dish, although saying national dish is a bit confusing as there really isn't just one recipe for bacalhau: rumour has it that there are more than 365 different ways to cook bacalhau, and some people say that's even an under-estimation.
The lagosta, or spiny lobster, is considered by many as the queen of Portuguese seafood, although many prefer its cousin, the lavagante. The cold waters of the Atlantic make Portuguese spiny lobster's meat sweeter than of those from the Mediterranean.
Wine. What is Portugal famous for? Wine, for sure; this is where you'll find some of the oldest wine-growing regions in the world. In fact, two of Portugal's wine-growing regions, the Douro Valley and Pico Island in the Azores, are protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Portugal is famous for its typical seafood dishes, popular beach destinations, and 16th to 19th-century architecture, from when this country was a powerful maritime empire. It's also known for its soccer legends, fado music, historical cities, and port wine. Let's go over the 15 things that Portugal is known for!
Fish consumption
Species like the sardine, Atlantic mackerel, tuna, and the European hake are important for the Portuguese commercial capture fisheries. Other, widely used species in Portuguese cuisine is the cod, known in Portugal as bacalhau.
Lying on the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal is a haven for seafood. You get a prawn there called carabinero, which is red in colour because of the pink plankton it eats. The carabinero is cooked simply with olive oil, garlic and fresh piri piri chilli, and finished off with cilantro.
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).
Bacalhau
Together with pastel de nata, bacalhau is perhaps the most well-known dish in Portuguese cuisine. It's a Portuguese national dish and far and away the most commonly eaten type of fish in Portugal.
Fruit. Pêra Rocha (pears), Maçã de Alcobaça (apples), Cova da Beira's cherries, a number of chestnut producing regions, and the Laranja do Algarve (oranges), are examples of well-known Portuguese certified products.
Portugal is the oldest country in Europe. It has had the same defined borders since 1139. It's no surprise that Portuguese is the official language of 9 countries with over 236 million people speaking it around the world.
The Portuguese colonists adopted an economy based on the production of agricultural goods that were exported to Europe. Sugar became by far the most important Brazilian colonial product until the early 18th century, when gold and other minerals assumed a higher importance.
The main crops grown in Portugal are cereals (wheat, barley, corn [maize], and rice), potatoes, grapes (for wine), olives, and tomatoes. Since 1999, Portuguese farmers have planted genetically modified corn. Portugal is among the world's largest exporters of tomato paste and is a leading exporter of wines.
In terms of GDP, Portugal is not necessarily considered a “rich” country, ranking number 47 worldwide. A country's richness cannot also be measured solely through GDP. However, the Portuguese economy has been growing in recent years, despite the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In particular, Portugal is known for its gold filigree jewelry. This type of gold can be formed into pendants, necklaces, bracelets and rings. Sometimes the jewelry is adorned with religious symbols such as hearts of Viana.
Grooved clams dominate small industry
gigas, Ostrea edulis) and mussels (Mytilus edulis). Most of the shellfish industry is located on the country's southern coast, particularly in the Algarve region.
But, the most important takeaway is that Portugal is a paradise for oyster lovers. The quality of the oysters is exceptional and the price is modest.
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.
Pasteis de Nata
They're the most famous food from Lisbon! And the recipe is under lock and key: Apparently, only three people in the world know it! Pasteis de Nata is golden puff pastry circle with a barely firm rich egg custard in the middle. It's sold at Pasteis de Belem.