Cuisine of Portugal
A look at the traditional foods and cuisines of Portugal.
Location: Portugal
Staples of Portuguese Cuisine
Portuguese cuisine is the product of many global influences. In medieval times, chicken, pork, fish, and bread served as the basis of most diets. Farmers grew grains, beans, and vegetables. Seafood, permitted during Catholic fasts, was common across all classes. In addition, both peasants and nobles took to the woods to hunt fowl, wild boar, deer, bear, and rabbit. When Berber and Arab forces invaded the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century, they brought citrus, wheat, almonds, rice, and sweets. Earlier Phoenician traders introduced olive oil and wine to the region.[1]
During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal's harbors delivered many new goods to European tables. Among them were American potatoes, tomatoes, and chocolates, along with teas and spices from Asia. At the same time, the cuisine of Portugal traveled as well. Its influence is perhaps most noticeable in the foods of Brazil and Hawaii. On Portuguese islands such as the Azores and Madeira, local ingredients mixed with those from Portuguese, American, and African cultures to create their own unique cuisines. It was also at this time that salted cod came into widespread use in Portugal.[1][2]
Traditional Dishes of Portuguese Cuisine
This fusion of global trade goods and peasant fare combined to form modern Portuguese cuisine. Many of the traditional dishes known today come from northern provinces like Minho and Trá-os-Montes. Soups and stews are especially common, including vegetable cataplana served with pork or clams. Central and South Portugal focuses more on pork and wheat than seafood. Açorda is a type of bread soup native to the region, made with savory meats and broth or soaked in sweet coffee. Meat is marinated in sauces, typically rich in wine and garlic, before cooking. Bacalhau, or salted cod, is famed for its variety of recipes and cooking methods.[2][3]
Beverages of Portugal
Before the Age of Discovery, the people of Portugal were somewhat limited in their beverage options. Water and milk served the commoners, while nobles drank wine. Coffee entered common use in the 16th century. By the 19th century, fruity liqueurs grew popular, first as medicinal tonics and then as recreational drinks.
Portugal and its islands are still widely known for their diverse wines. Wine-making was commonplace in peasant villages, an experimental art made in small batches by each household. The most famous result is port, native to the Douro region. The rocky soils of its mountains have been painstakingly terraced and broken apart to allow grapevines to survive. The hardy grapes, with their roots stretching as much as 65 feet below ground to reach water, produced a strong wine. Portuguese wine merchants combined it with brandy to create modern port. [1][2]
Portuguese Sweets and Baked Goods
Maghrebi and Arab culinary influence can still be seen in the windows of many Portuguese bakeries. Sweet pastries and candies became a traditional source of income for southern convents and never lost their popularity. Sugar arrived in ports from plantations on Madeira and Brazil and was refined with egg whites. The remaining yolks were then used to make custards, tarts, and cakes. Local almonds, walnuts, and citrus are all common ingredients in Portuguese baking, along with figs and honey. Pastries, especially custard tarts, are commonly served at meals, particularly breakfast.[4]
Bibliography
Anthonio H. R. de Oliveira Marques, Daily Life in Portugal in the Late Middle Ages (Ann Arbor, MI: Univ. Microfilms Internat., 1984), 246-247.
Carlos A. Cunha and Rhonda Cunha, Culture and Customs of Portugal (Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2010), 65-73.
Carol Robertson, Portuguese Cooking: The Authentic and Robust Cuisine of Portugal: Journal and Cookbook (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1993).
Darra Goldstein, ed., The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015), 552.
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