Food culture
Festivals, traditions and the stories behind Portugal's favourite dishes.
Food cultureWhy Do Portuguese Eat BacalhauThe Story of the Faithful Friend
Why do Portuguese eat bacalhau when no cod swims off Portugal? Salt, Catholic fasting, Newfoundland fleets and the Estado Novo, explained simply.
Food cultureVinho VerdeWhat It Is and What to Eat With It
Vinho verde is a region, not a "green wine". What it tastes like, why it's slightly fizzy, Alvarinho vs Loureiro, red vinho verde and the food to pair.
Food cultureSão Martinho PortugalChestnuts, New Wine and the Legend
São Martinho in Portugal on 11 November: roast chestnuts, água-pé, jeropiga, the cloak legend, St Martin's summer and how to roast chestnuts at home.
Food culturePortuguese vs Spanish FoodThe Real Differences
Portuguese vs Spanish food explained: seasoning, bacalhau, rice, chouriço vs chorizo, petiscos vs tapas, meal times and sweets. The real differences.
Food culturePortuguese Soup10 Classics and Why Every Meal Starts With Sopa
Portuguese soup explained: why meals start with sopa, 10 classic soups from caldo verde to sopa da pedra, and a simple everyday sopa de legumes recipe.
Food culturePortuguese Sausage Guide7 Types and How to Cook Each
Portuguese sausage explained: chouriço, linguiça, alheira, farinheira, morcela, salpicão and paio, what's in each, which to eat raw, how to cook them.
Food culturePortuguese New Year TraditionsRaisins, Bubbles and Bolo-Rei
Portuguese New Year traditions and food: 12 raisins at midnight, espumante, the chair jump, bolo-rei and what families eat on 31 December and 1 January.
Food culturePortuguese FoodWhat It Is and Why It Tastes Like Home
What Portuguese food is really like: the key ingredients, the regional cooking, the history behind it and how a meal works in Portugal.
Food culturePortuguese Easter FoodFolar, Roast Kid and Sugared Almonds
Portuguese Easter food explained: sweet and savoury folar by region, roast cabrito and borrego, amêndoas, pão de ló and the Good Friday bacalhau.
Food culturePortuguese Desserts15 Classics to Make or Order
Portuguese desserts beyond the pastry counter: arroz doce, leite creme, baba de camelo, molotof, salame de chocolate and more, with what each tastes like.
Food culturePortuguese CoffeeHow to Order Like a Local
Portuguese coffee explained: bica, galão, meia de leite, abatanado, pingo, garoto and Porto's cimbalino, counter prices and how to make it at home.
Food culturePortuguese Cheese10 Cheeses to Know and How to Eat Them
Portuguese cheese explained: Serra da Estrela, Azeitão, São Jorge, Nisa, Serpa and more, which are PDO, and how to eat soft amanteigado cheeses.
Food culturePortuguese BreakfastWhat Locals Really Eat and Order
What a Portuguese breakfast really is: a bica, buttered toast or a pastry at the café counter, plus the words to order it and how to make it at home.
Food culturePortuguese Bread8 Loaves to Know and How Locals Use Them
Portuguese bread explained: broa de milho, pão alentejano, papo-seco, bolo do caco, regueifa and more, plus how stale bread becomes açorda and migas.
Food culturePort Wine ExplainedEvery Style and How to Serve It
Port wine explained simply: ruby, tawny, colheita, LBV, vintage, white and rosé port, how to serve each, how long an open bottle lasts and what to eat.
Food culturePastel de Nata HistoryFrom Belém Monks to the World
Pastel de nata history in plain English: the Jerónimos monks, the 1837 Belém bakery, the secret recipe story and how the tart spread to Macau and beyond.
Food cultureGinjinhaPortugal's Sour Cherry Liqueur Explained
Ginjinha, Portugal's sour cherry liqueur: how it's made, ordering it in Lisbon and Óbidos, com elas or sem elas, chocolate cups and serving it at home.
Food cultureDoces ConventuaisPortugal's Convent Sweets Explained
Doces conventuais are Portugal's convent sweets. Why they're all egg yolks and sugar, the famous ones, where each comes from and where to find them.
Food cultureBordallo PinheiroCabbage Plates, Swallows and Sardines
The story of Bordallo Pinheiro: Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro, the Caldas da Rainha factory, cabbage ware, swallows, festival sardines and how to spot fakes.
Food culturePortuguese Food WordsFor the Market, Café and Tasca
The European Portuguese food vocabulary you'll actually use in Portugal, with simple pronunciation: at the market, in the kitchen, at the café and the tasca.
Food cultureSantos PopularesA Food Lover's Guide to June in Portugal
Grilled sardines, basil pots, plastic hammers and street parties. What happens at Portugal's June saints' festivals, and what to eat and drink at the arraiais.
Food culturePortuguese Christmas FoodWhat's on the Table at Consoada
Salt cod on Christmas Eve, roupa velha on Christmas Day, bolo rei, rabanadas and filhós. A guide to the food of a Portuguese Christmas, and how to cook it.
Food culturePortuguese Pastries10 to Try Beyond the Pastel de Nata
Travesseiros from Sintra, ovos moles from Aveiro, pão de ló, bola de Berlim and more. A guide to Portugal's pastelaria counter and where each pastry comes from.
Food culturePortuguese Wine for BeginnersWhat to Drink With What
Vinho Verde, Douro, Alentejo, Bairrada, Port and Madeira explained simply, with the Portuguese dishes each one goes best with. No wine jargon.