Portuguese Cookbooks - Which One to Choose in English

The right Portuguese cookbook depends on what you want to cook. For the whole country in one volume, choose Portugal: The Cookbook from Phaidon. For classic home cooking, Authentic Portuguese Cooking. For Lisbon, Lisboeta. For Azorean family food, Maria Lawton's two books. For a modern Portuguese-American kitchen, Little Portugal. All six are in English.

Below is what each one covers, based on the publishers' descriptions and what is publicly known about the authors, and who it suits. None of them is "the best" for everyone; they're very different books.

Quick guide: which Portuguese cookbook should you buy?

Want the complete reference? Portugal: The Cookbook (Phaidon).
Want everyday family recipes from the mainland and islands? Authentic Portuguese Cooking.
Fell in love with Lisbon? Lisboeta.
Have Azorean roots, or a Portuguese-American family? Azorean Cooking, then At My Portuguese Table.
Want bold, modern home cooking with lots of photos? Little Portugal.

Portugal: The Cookbook (Phaidon)

The big one. Written by the Portuguese chef Leandro Carreira, it's part of Phaidon's series of national cookbooks, and the publisher describes it as holding more than 550 classic and contemporary recipes from across the country. It's a broad survey of Portuguese cooking, from soups, rice and salt cod to meat, seafood, breads and sweets, including regional dishes that shorter books leave out.

What it's good for: looking up almost any dish you've eaten in Portugal and finding a version of it. It's a reference first and a weeknight cookbook second.

Who it suits: serious home cooks, people who already cook Portuguese food and want depth, and anyone who wants one book that covers everything. It's a large hardback, so it also works as a statement gift.

Keep in mind: big national surveys tend to be brief on each recipe. Beginners may want something with more hand-holding alongside it.

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Portugal: The Cookbook (Phaidon)

A big, comprehensive book of Portuguese recipes, region by region. The one to give a serious cook.

Tip: A large hardback that looks good on the shelf as well as in the kitchen.

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Authentic Portuguese Cooking (Ana Patuleia Ortins)

Published by Page Street, this book by Ana Patuleia Ortins collects more than 185 home-style recipes from mainland Portugal, the Azores and Madeira. Ortins is the daughter of Portuguese immigrants and teaches Portuguese cooking in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a town with a long Portuguese fishing community. She also wrote an earlier book, Portuguese Homestyle Cooking.

What it's good for: the classic dishes Portuguese families actually cook: soups, stews, salt cod, roast meats, rice and sweets, explained for a home kitchen outside Portugal.

Who it suits: home cooks who want a dependable all-round collection, and families trying to recreate recipes they grew up with but never wrote down. It's a good first Portuguese cookbook.

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Authentic Portuguese Cooking (cookbook)

Over 185 classic recipes from mainland Portugal, the Azores and Madeira. A highly rated home-cooking reference.

Tip: Good for family recipes you remember but never wrote down.

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Lisboeta (Nuno Mendes)

A Lisbon book by the Lisbon-born chef Nuno Mendes, best known in London for restaurants including Taberna do Mercado, his Portuguese place in Spitalfields. Published by Bloomsbury, it mixes recipes with writing about the city: its tascas, cafés, markets and history. Coverage of the book mentions classics like custard tarts, salt cod fritters and grilled sardines alongside lesser-known dishes.

What it's good for: capturing the feel of eating in Lisbon, from petiscos to pastelaria favourites. It's a book to read as well as cook from.

Who it suits: people who have visited Lisbon and want to bring it home, and cooks who enjoy a restaurant chef's take on traditional food. It's also a lovely gift. Vegetarians will find relatively few dishes. Pair it with our guide to what to eat in Lisbon.

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Lisboeta by Nuno Mendes

Lisbon's food in a beautiful hardback by Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes: tascas, petiscos and city classics.

Tip: A lovely gift for anyone who fell for Lisbon.

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Azorean Cooking (Maria Lawton)

Maria Lawton's family emigrated from São Miguel, in the Azores, to the United States when she was a child. Her first book, Azorean Cooking: From My Table to Yours, documents the food of her childhood and her family's traditional recipes. She went on to present the public television series Maria's Portuguese Table.

What it's good for: island home cooking, the dishes Azorean families brought to New England and Canada.

Who it suits: Portuguese-American and Portuguese-Canadian families with Azorean roots, and anyone who has travelled to the islands. Our guide to eating in the Azores gives context for the dishes.

At My Portuguese Table (Maria Lawton)

The follow-up to Azorean Cooking, with more family recipes from the Azores and from mainland Portugal. It suits the same reader: home cooks who want approachable recipes rooted in one family's kitchen. If you liked the first book, this one widens the range beyond the islands. It's a paperback, easy to keep open on the counter.

Little Portugal (Lauren Covas)

Lauren Covas grew up in the Ironbound, the Portuguese neighbourhood of Newark, New Jersey. Little Portugal, published by Page Street in 2025, is her first book and a tribute to the cooking she learned from her mother and grandmother. It's organised around seafood, farm dishes, soups and stews, shareable plates and salads, and sweets, with classics like seafood rice and arroz doce alongside modern twists.

What it's good for: bold, generous home cooking with plenty of photos. It reads like the food of a Portuguese-American family table rather than a regional survey.

Who it suits: younger cooks, Portuguese-American families, and anyone who wants inspiration more than an encyclopaedia.

How to choose: three questions

Do you want breadth or a voice? Phaidon gives breadth. Lisboeta, Lawton and Covas each give one person's view of Portuguese food. Ortins sits in between.
Mainland, Lisbon or islands? Most Portuguese communities in North America have roots in the Azores, Madeira or the north of Portugal. If that's your family's story, Lawton's books will feel familiar.
Reading or cooking? Lisboeta and the Phaidon book are as good on the coffee table as in the kitchen. Ortins, Lawton and Covas are more practical cooking companions.

Making the most of a Portuguese cookbook

Most of these books assume a few staples are in the cupboard. Before you start, read our Portuguese pantry staples list, and keep how to soak bacalhau to hand, because every one of them has salt cod recipes. If a recipe calls for something you can't find abroad, our Portuguese ingredient substitutes will help. For gift ideas to pair with a book, see gifts for Portugal lovers.

Bold Portuguese home cooking from a New Jersey kitchen, with a modern twist on the classics.

Tip: Hardback with lots of photos.

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Good questions

Frequently asked

What is the most complete Portuguese cookbook in English?

Portugal: The Cookbook from Phaidon, by Leandro Carreira, is the most comprehensive, with more than 550 recipes according to the publisher. It covers the whole country, region by region. It's best used as a reference alongside a more personal book.

What is a good Portuguese cookbook for beginners?

Authentic Portuguese Cooking by Ana Patuleia Ortins is a good first choice, with home-style recipes written for cooks outside Portugal. Little Portugal by Lauren Covas is another approachable option with lots of photos. Both focus on dishes families actually make.

Is there a cookbook for Azorean food?

Yes. Maria Lawton's Azorean Cooking: From My Table to Yours is dedicated to the food of the Azores, and her follow-up, At My Portuguese Table, adds more island and mainland recipes. Authentic Portuguese Cooking also includes recipes from the Azores and Madeira.

Which Portuguese cookbook makes the best gift?

For a keen cook, the Phaidon book or Lisboeta, both handsome hardbacks. For someone with Azorean family roots, one of Maria Lawton's books. Match the book to the person's connection to Portugal rather than picking the biggest one.

Are Portuguese cookbooks in English authentic?

The ones here are written by Portuguese chefs or by cooks from Portuguese families, so they are rooted in real traditions. Some adapt ingredients for kitchens abroad, which is useful rather than inauthentic. Regional variations mean no single book is the only "correct" version of a dish.

Quick guide: which Portuguese cookbook should you buy?