Gifts for Someone Who Loves Portugal - Ideas by Person

The best gift for someone who loves Portugal matches what they love about it. For a cook, a cataplana or a serious Portuguese cookbook. For a coffee lover, a Delta machine. For a host, Vista Alegre goblets or a Bordallo cabbage bowl. For a learner, Portuguese-language tools. For a collector, a Bordallo sardine or Cutipol cutlery. For someone homesick, a cookbook of family recipes.

"Loves Portugal" covers a lot of people: the friend who goes to the Algarve every summer, the couple who honeymooned in Lisbon, the colleague planning a move, the Portuguese grandparent in New Jersey. A generic souvenir rarely lands with any of them. Here's how to choose by person, with ideas at different budgets. For small presents, see our Portuguese gifts under €30.

For the cook

They came back from Portugal talking about a dish, and they've been trying to recreate it ever since.

A serious cookbook. Portugal: The Cookbook from Phaidon is the big region-by-region reference, the one to give someone who cooks every day. If they fell for Lisbon specifically, Lisboeta by Nuno Mendes is a lovely alternative. Our best Portuguese cookbooks guide compares the options.
A cataplana. The Algarve's clam-shell pan, for the friend who loves a dinner-party moment. A 24 cm pan suits two people; check it fits their biggest burner before choosing.
A clay pot. For the slow-cooker type who'd love a Sunday feijoada. Add a note reminding them to cure it before the first use.

Portuguese

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.

View on Amazon

For the coffee lover

In Portugal, coffee is a small ritual repeated several times a day: a quick bica at the counter, a galão in the morning, an espresso after lunch.

A Delta Q machine. Delta is Portugal's biggest coffee brand, and this compact capsule machine makes a proper short espresso at home.
Delta ground coffee and a moka pot, for someone who'd rather not have another machine.
A Costa Nova or Casafina mug in Portuguese stoneware, big enough for a galão.

Pair any of these with our Portuguese coffee guide so they can order like a local on the next trip.

For the host

They love having people round, and they'll use something Portuguese every time they do.

Vista Alegre goblets. Vista Alegre has made porcelain and glass in Portugal since 1824. A set of four all-purpose goblets suits Vinho Verde, water or sangria.
A Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage bowl. The famous green cabbage-leaf ceramics, perfect for salad or potatoes in the middle of the table. A classic Portuguese wedding present.
Cork placemats or an azulejo cork trivet, so the cataplana has somewhere to land.
A Portuguese petiscos kit. A few good tins of fish, a José Gourmet fish dish to serve them on and a note suggesting a chilled Vinho Verde to go with it. Our petiscos night guide shows how to put the evening together.

Portuguese

Vista Alegre Bicos goblets, set of 4

Vista Alegre has made porcelain and glass in Portugal since 1824. These goblets suit a Vinho Verde with your cataplana.

Tip: All-purpose goblets: wine, water or sangria.

View on Amazon

For the collector

Some people collect Portugal one object at a time.

A Bordallo Pinheiro sardine. New artist-designed sardines come out every year for Lisbon's June festivals, so there's always a new one to add. Read the Bordallo Pinheiro guide for the background.
Bordallo swallows. The black ceramic swallows seen on Portuguese walls stand for home and loyalty. Add one each birthday.
Cutipol GOA cutlery. Sold by the piece, so you can give one dessert spoon at a time and build a set over years.
A Galo de Barcelos. The hand-painted good-luck rooster. Each one is painted by hand, so no two collections look the same.

For the learner

They've started learning Portuguese, or they keep saying they will. The best gift is something that makes practice part of everyday life.

Portuguese food as homework. A cookbook with Portuguese dish names is surprisingly good vocabulary practice. Ingredients, verbs and measurements repeat on every page.
A menu cheat sheet. Print our guide to Portuguese food words and tuck it into a card, along with how to order in a Portuguese restaurant.
A European Portuguese learning app. Much of the Portuguese taught abroad is Brazilian, which sounds very different. If they're heading to Portugal, they want European Portuguese.

For the homesick emigrant or diaspora family

For Portuguese people abroad, and their children and grandchildren, the best gifts taste of home.

A family-recipe cookbook. Maria Lawton's Azorean Cooking and At My Portuguese Table are written from Portuguese-American family kitchens, which makes them especially meaningful to diaspora families.
Pastel de nata tins, so the Sunday natas can be made at home.
A Bordallo cabbage plate or a galo for the kitchen wall. Familiar objects matter.
A box of the brands they grew up with. Delta coffee, Portuguese tinned fish and piri-piri are all easy to find online.

Portuguese

Azorean Cooking by Maria Lawton

Family recipes from the Azores, one of the best-loved Portuguese cookbooks on Amazon.

Tip: Great for Portuguese-American families keeping recipes alive.

View on Amazon

For the one who has everything

One beautiful piece instead of several small ones. A single Cutipol GOA spoon in a nice box, or one Vista Alegre plate.
An experience at home. Cook them a Portuguese dinner.

If the person is moving house, our Portuguese housewarming gifts guide has ideas rooted in Portuguese traditions.

Cutipol is a Portuguese cutlery maker and GOA is its best-known design. Start with a spoon for arroz doce and build the set from there.

Tip: Sold by the piece. Handwash the coloured handles.

View on Amazon

Good questions

Frequently asked

What is a good gift for someone who loves Portugal?

Match it to what they love. A Portuguese cookbook or cataplana for a cook, Delta coffee for a coffee lover, Vista Alegre goblets or a Bordallo bowl for a host, and a Bordallo sardine for a collector. Tinned fish is a safe choice for almost anyone.

What is a traditional Portuguese gift?

The Galo de Barcelos rooster, Bordallo Pinheiro ceramics, cork products and Portuguese tinned fish are all traditional. Ceramic swallows are a classic gift for a new home or a couple.

What do Portuguese people like as gifts?

Food and things for the table are always welcome: good coffee, tinned fish, sweets and wine for a dinner invitation. For bigger occasions like weddings, tableware from Portuguese makers such as Vista Alegre or Bordallo Pinheiro is a traditional choice.

What should I buy a Portuguese person living abroad?

Things that taste or look like home: a family-recipe cookbook, Delta coffee, Portuguese tinned fish, pastel de nata tins or a Bordallo plate for the kitchen. Familiar brands often mean more than expensive ones.