Food / Wine

The staple diet of the Portuguese is fish and meat ö they consume more fish than any other country in Europe. What the Portuguese can do with ã Bacalhaoä ö dried cod is unreal, they have 365 recipes, one for every day of the year! The sardine is not far behind. 

Portugal will appeal to those real gourmets who have a love for authentic real food that has been developed in harmony over centuries with its natural surroundings and cared for by people who take pride in what they produce. Not all restaurants, however, offer these great dishes ö they have to be ãsought outä.  

Restaurants in Portugal as a whole have not yet discovered the art of serving different kinds of dishes. Most restaurants serve the same 15 dishes. The produce will be local and fresh. Most meat dishes are served with chips and fish with boiled potatoes, sometimes you will get rice. Vegetables are scarce, and vegetarian dishes not commonplace. It is, however, cheap and very plentiful. All restaurants have to offer a ãTuristica Menu/Auments Turisticaä, it's similar to a set lunch or dinner in the UK and always good value. 

For a number of people this choice is sufficient, however, some other will want to be more adventurous and try traditional Portuguese specialities - you can find excellent local specialties, but you have to know where they are ö luckily Motocadia can help you here, if you are a ãfoodieä. 

To experience a different kind of Portuguese cooking we recommend you go to the slightly more up market restaurants where you will get mouth watering cuisine and the price will be relatively low compared with other parts of Europe. These restaurants normally offer a more interesting interior and could also be set in a splendid building. An excellent guide is the Michelin ãred bookä entitled restaurants and hotels 2004, go to the following site to purchase the guide ö www.fetchbook.info enter in the following ID number ö 2061006965 ö this will compare prices from various retailers. This is the best food guide to Portugal.  Alternatively you can access the Michelin Website: www.viamichelin.com to find recommended restaurants on-line. 

The Portuguese take great pride in their traditional farming methods, rearing of livestock and general care and maintenance of their land. As such till the dictatorship of Salazar was overthrown in 1974 Portugal was cut off from the rest of Europe. During this period many people became self sufficient and still carry this on today ö to a lesser extent. You will notice, however, that most gardens will have some form of fruit or vegetables being grown, and some live stock will be kept depending on the region. 

Ingredients used in Portuguese food are often from small farms or co-operatives and free from pesticides and chemicals ö they taste great. 

Below are just a few examples of dishes that can be found all over Portugal, local regional specialities are found all over the country. Motocadia will have great pleasure in helping you to find the right restaurants for you to experience these.  

Petiscos ö these are small delicacies that can be compared with Spanish tapas, usually you order a ãpetiscosä ö a small plate of them. It is usual for Portuguese people to go to the bar late afternoon, or early evening to order these, along with a glass of wine or beer.

• Ameijoas a bulhao pato ö mussels in garlic, with cilantro leaves and lemon juice

• Caracois ö small spicy snails

• Enguias de escabeche ö small eels fried in a well seasoned marinade with fried onions Dried cod and sardines are also done like this

• Moelas ö well spiced chicken stomachs

Salgados:

These are salty specialist pastries with spicy fillings ö great with beer or wine.  They are made with choux or puff pastry and can be battered or left plain. The fillings are shellfish, meat, sausage ö they are either oven baked or deep-fried.

• Rissois ö deep fried choux pastries filled with crab meat, or mussels, or fish

• Empada ö Different shapes of pastries, filled with ground chicken, baked or deep fried

• Bolinhos de bacalhau ö small dumplings made from dried cod, potatoes and herbs

Fish / shellfish:

This is the main dish of the Portuguese, and many varieties can be found ö it will always be fresh, such as:

• Bacalhau - dried cod, national dish

• Sardinhas ö sardines, national dish

• Salmoneta ö red mullet

• Pargo ö sea bream

• Faneca - poor cod

• Robalo ö sea bass

• Pescada ö hake

• Cacao ö small shark

• Espadarte ö sword fish

Fish will often be grilled on an open BBQ, or baked, pan fired, boiled, steamed or deep-fried

Meat:

Portuguese take very seriously the welfare of their livestock, what they eat, where they are kept and how they live. Traditional methods have prevailed even with the EU regulations.

You will find excellent beef from breeds such as the Alentejana, lamb from the Terrincho and the best pork always has the trademark of Casa do Porco Preto and comes from a small area of the Alentejo close to Spain.

Dishes include:

• Cacoila (Stew in a Cacoila Dish) - Often made with pork beef this one-pot meal is a very traditional especially during a "mantaca" or winter slaughtering of pigs or cattle. This recipe is from the island of Pico, in the Azores.

• Ensopado de Borrego ö lamb ragout

• Bife steak ö beef steaks

• Leitao ö suckling young pig

• Vitela ö veal

• Cabrito - goat

Wines:

Despite its small area, Portugal rates sixth in the world as a wine-producing country with 44 designated wine areas, and as such produces a huge variety of wine such as:

• Vinho Verde

• Port

• Madeira

• Dao

• Bairrada

• Douro

• Estremadura

• Colares

• Alentejo

• Tart

• Rose

The choice and price of wine in Portugal varies hugely, but there is something for everyone.

Portuguese wines can compete with wines from all other major wine-producing countries, and are being appreciated as wonderful wines for food. Based on both indigenous Portuguese and international varieties, they offer a new world of sensory experiences.