What to Eat in the AlgarveA Local's Food Guide

Most visitors know the Algarve for its beaches. The people who live here know it for its food: seafood straight off the boats, chicken grilled over charcoal, and sweets made from the figs, almonds and carob that grow in the hills behind the coast. This is what to look for, and what to order.

Cataplana

The Algarve's signature dish takes its name from the pan: two hinged copper domes that clamp shut so the food steams in its own juices. The classic filling is clams and prawns with chouriço, tomato and coriander, but you'll also see fish, monkfish and pork versions. It's usually served for two and brought to the table closed, so you get the moment when the lid opens.

Try it at home with our cataplana de marisco recipe.

Frango piri-piri da Guia

Guia, a small town near Albufeira, is famous across Portugal for its chicken. Restaurants there split the birds flat, grill them over charcoal and baste them with chilli oil until the skin blisters. Order it with chips and a tomato salad, and ask for the piri-piri oil on the side so you can control the heat. Our air fryer version gets surprisingly close.

Clams, octopus and xerém

The Ria Formosa lagoon around Faro and Olhão is one of Portugal's great shellfish nurseries. Look for amêijoas (clams), conquilhas (tiny wedge clams fried with garlic) and xerém, a soft corn porridge cooked with clams or pork. Santa Luzia, near Tavira, calls itself the octopus capital, and its restaurants serve polvo grilled, in rice or in salad.

The sweets: figs, almonds and carob

The Algarve's convent sweets are built on what grows here. Dom Rodrigo are little foil-wrapped parcels of egg-yolk threads and almond. Morgadinhos are marzipan shaped into fruits and animals. Dried figs are stuffed with almonds, and carob turns up in cakes and biscuits. They make great presents to take home.

Medronho

In the Monchique hills, small producers distil medronho, a strong spirit made from the fruit of the strawberry tree. It's often offered after dinner. Sip it slowly.

Pocket phrasebook

Six phrases for cafés and tascas

• Uma bica, por favor.OO-ma BEE-ka, poor fa-VORAn espresso, please.
• Tem mesa para dois?TAYNG MEH-za PA-ra DOYSHDo you have a table for two?
• O que recomenda?oo k' r'-koo-MEN-daWhat do you recommend?
• Não, obrigado.NOWNG, oh-bree-GAH-dooNo, thank you. (A woman says obrigada.)
• Está delicioso!shtah d'-lee-see-OH-zooIt's delicious!
• A conta, por favor.a KON-ta, poor fa-VORThe bill, please.

Want to hear phrases like these? Portugal Lifestyle Pro trains your ear with real spoken Portuguese, with a slower mode for beginners. There is also a free written guide to ordering food in Portuguese.

Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play

Bring the Algarve home

A cataplana is the one piece of kit that makes Algarve cooking at home feel right, and a pack of piri-piri chillies keeps for a year.

Portuguese

Artame stainless steel cataplana, 30 cm

The family size: enough cataplana de marisco for four, carried to the table and opened in a cloud of steam.

Tip: Check it fits your largest burner before you buy.

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From the shop

What you’ll need

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Portuguese

Artame stainless steel cataplana, 30 cm

The family size: enough cataplana de marisco for four, carried to the table and opened in a cloud of steam.

Tip: Check it fits your largest burner before you buy.

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Portuguese

Piri-piri chillies from Portugal

Whole dried bird's-eye chillies, the heat behind frango piri-piri and the bottle of chilli oil on every Portuguese table.

Tip: Two packs last a year. Crush them as you need them.

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Portuguese

Algarve sea salt

Sea salt from the Algarve salt pans, for coarse-salt roasting batatas a murro and for finishing grilled fish.

Tip: A little goes a long way. Use it for finishing, not boiling water.

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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.

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