It’s not the Portuguese food that’s marginal. It’s the cuisine. Portuguese food is great - the olive oil, bread, eggs, seafood… My cooking has greatly improved because of the quality of the food in Portugal.
But the cuisine? I call it Post-Dictatorial. White rice, over-cooked boiled potatoes and boiled cabbage 🤢. Don’t get me started on Bacalhau - it’s not 1850. There is no need to salt fish for a long transport home. Not only do we now have refrigeration, but ships actually can package and flash-freeze as cod is caught. Maybe this information will catch on in another 50 years…
I’m grateful to live in Porto, where we have great Asian and Mexican restaurants. Except for the fruit they put on sushi… I keep a long list of favorite restaurants in Porto. Very few are Portuguese.
If you'd try the recipes of before Salazarism, you'll find that in Portugal they were eating curry in the renaissance, and Vindaloo in the same age. There are marvellous recipes in old books, and we should just thrown Maria Lourdes Modesto's one out of the window, to make space to those where Arab cuisine, Roman cuisine, and Iberian flavours are present, mixed up with spices and a lot of eggs and vegetables :)
I live in Lisbon, where as you stated, you can find most EVERYTHING for a vegan or vegetarian diet in either many restaurants (where younger Portuguese chefs are starting to realize that vegetables are important) or in grocery stores ( such as Celeiro or Go Natural). Even in our local Pingo or ALDI I’ve seen a huge selection of vegan processed “meats” ( seitan, tofu, TVP) and a even a bigger selection of vegan cheeses in the Go Natural. We are lucky because we have a huge Auchan grocer with a banging selection of world foods/spices as well as vegan foodstuffs hard to find elsewhere.
I’ve read people complain about the lack of food items in many a Portuguese Expat FB group, but I’ve always assumed they live in a tiny village somewhere, not Lisbon, because it’s all here. I might suggest try ordering via Amazon Spain if your local shops don’t supply basics of vegetarian staples. Or make a monthly pilgrimage to Lisbon ( or Porto?) to gather rations.
As for your Algarve question, I’ve only heard “The Algarve”. But who knows. Oh, and that Times writer can suck it! Lol!! 🤣😂 As a former chef of 25 years, I will say there is no such thing as “soggy cod” here. Admittedly, the food here isn’t French gastronomy by any means, but it’s solid in its preparation and simply prepared. And there is nothing wrong with any of that. 🍤🔪🍽️
There are a lot of terrible restaurants in Portugal, I am afraid. There are some good ones, and a very handful of excellent ones. Unfortunately, trying to cater for customers in search of very cheap food means very cheap ingredients.
I would disagree with you on that statement. I think the quality of the meats, eggs , fresh vegetables and most importantly fish here is excellent. Where are you finding all the terrible places?I'm sorry that this has been your experience here.
I understand this is a concept hard to swallow, but unfortunately the quality of cheeses and hams and meats and vegetables here is very low: even projects like Matéria cannot scratch the surface of the issue: vegetables are sold without quality (tasteless eggplants, huge watery courgettes only good for soups, industrial meats, cheeses with saponification). Working in the area of gastronomy brings a lot of disappointment when shopping. Luckily; there are few producers (like the potatoes from Reis or tomatoes from Hortelão do Oeste) that are easier to find.
Just yesterday I said those exact words “I’m not a fan of Portuguese food” out loud to my SIL when looking through a Portuguese recipe book! All of the points you make above, Nancy, are spot on. I agree that the bread, wine, and fresh vegetables purchased at the Mercado are far superior to what was available in the US. I’ve lost almost 10 pounds in the year we’ve lived here...and it’s not from limiting our diet! We’ve even been known to order a dessert or pastry which we almost never did in the US.
Regarding russet potatoes...the closest I’ve found (at the Continente) is “Batatas Especiais para Fritar.” They come in a bag that includes a variety of sizes. I usually can find a bag with 2-4 larger sized spuds that I save for baking, the others I like to use in soups. What I find interesting is that they are not “scrubbed clean” like packaged potatoes in the US...they come with a bit of dirt on them.
Oh, regarding the most important topping for that baked spud...sour cream! Not to be easily found here, but a substitute can be made by draining plain Greek yogurt in a sieve lined with coffee filters for several hours in the refrigerator. The result is a nice thick “sour cream” that is wonderful on potatoes, in a bowl of chili, or as a topping for a frittata.
I agree with you 100%. I am primarily a vegetarian but occasionally eat fish or even a churrascara chicken. I also live in a small tourist village(Luso) and am really sick of veggie burgers, which seems to be the only option besides the lettuce, tomato onion salads. With amazing gardens everywhere why not experiment and try a new recipe. Sometimes my Portuguese friends will say they’ll cook me a “special “ meal because I’m vegetarian. Please don’t 😬 as they are always the mentioned overcooked vegetables with no seasoning. It seems to be beyond Portuguese chefs sadly, to look for a recipe outside of their typical range. I love going to Porto or Lisbon just to have some culinary variety. As you said I didn’t move here for the food, but the people and the lifestyle are well worth having to cook most of my meals.
We love food as proven by last nights dinner... had the most awesome eggplant Parmesan at a friends house. But let me start here. I had one friend at work that I told about our upcoming move to Portugal. Whilst keeping it a secret from the rest of my coworkers she became my confidant because upon mentioning our upcoming (exploratory) trip she said her sister was going to PT because she was planning on moving here. Her sister is vegetarian and came back broken hearted because she claimed she had no options for good vegetarian food anywhere in Portugal. Now I’ve only been here 8 months, but having many vegetarian friends, I’ve not experienced a lack of delicious plant based options anywhere in the Algarve. ( I think
of it like saying the South, the Midwest, the Desert Southwest, the Great Plains or the Pacific Northwest. But then I do say Alentejo and NOT The Alentejo... so I guess I’m no help on that question)
Back on topic, we LOVE the food here and are thrilled to keep exploring new versions of the local cuisine. It’s wonderful when you are in an area that has a variety of options but we live in a town that prides itself on having mostly “traditional” restaurants. My main complaint is that most restaurants are a snack bar and consist of the same menu as the rest. Toasties, baguettes, and sandies of ham or cheese or mista or tuna and occasionally shrimp or chicken. And a hamburger. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish one place from another when the menus are identical. Of course I have identified the superior toastie. If not a snack bar, the grilled fish, chicken piri-piri and pork dishes are usually exceptional. I’ve yet to figure out a way to get the sides you would prefer. I’m amazed that a chicken entree comes with rice and French fries. Or both our meals come with fries and the amount arriving can feed a family of six.
I would love more variety here, but that’s my excuse to explore the neighboring towns and villages. So I’m not really complaining. I too am amazed at the quality and variety of fresh produce readily available everywhere, and the lack of that showing up on menus anywhere. My interpretation of that is an assumption. As Americans we simply dined out a lot and it became less of a special occasion and more of the norm. Here, just maybe, cooking at home is where all these lovely vegetables shine and when the Portuguese dine out they want meat. I don’t know if that’s accurate or if so, is it simply cultural or a symptom of the past. Being a once poorer nation is it a remnant of the peasant culture or from availability of ingredients during the years of the dictatorship. I don’t know. But we spend a lot of time listening to spoken Portuguese by watching the fun chefs teaching you their favorite PT recipes on 24 Kitchen on cable TV.
All said. I’m in love with Portuguese food and my expanding waist line can attest to that. The deserts are amazing and not just sicky sweet, but full of flavor. And I am a fan of the soggy salty cod... which luckily I’ve never found to be soggy or salty. Maybe I’m lucky and have ordered it at the right restaurant on the right day. But I’ve tried it many different ways and other than finding the occasional bone, I’ve loved every bite.
Thank you Nancy for another fun blog. Until next time!
I love portuguese food (most of it) - but my comment goes to the british food critic :) lol. I have found that many of the british people I know really only like their own british food. Which is funny, since the rest of the world thinks that british food is really not that good. So unlike the critic says, I go to Portugal for many reasons, but one of them is also the food ....
Since Al means “the” and thus “Algarve “ means “the West”, it’s probably more correct to say Algarve rather than “the the west” 😊 Not a big fan of Portuguese food though I do enjoy the fresh fish.
Apart from the excellent roast chicken at Pingo Doce, my favorite eateries in Porto are Thailander and Restaurante Grande Palácio Hong Kong. Perhaps you can guess my leanings from the names of the restaurants?
Ha! I get where you’re coming from. We recently visited Porto & because I love custard, pastry, meat, bread & cheese, I had no problem finding yummy food. We did buy fruit from the local market for some healthier choices. The fruit was amazing! I also love seafood, so the popular seafood & rice soup was a favorite of mine. I loved the Francezinia , but could pass on the Bacalau . The wine there is good, and inexpensive. We love port so we were in luck!!
I will say by day 7, I was happy to find a French bistro that served quiche & a fresh salad. Pescatarian is the way to go if you’re watching your waistline, but walk the city daily & there should be no problem keeping slim.
My wife is vegetarian and doesn’t like eggs or mushrooms so eating out was a bit challenging in smaller places in Portugal. Lisboa offered many choices. In the smaller towns I tended to cook at our airbnb’s. Like you I found some fantastic produce in Portugal and they have good shelf stable tofu in most grocery stores. Overall I wasn’t impressed with restaurant food but definitely found a few gems, usually involving fish.
I am a vegetarian -- but like Nanc, occasionally wander into the pescatarian wilderness, especially for fresh-caught temptations. You can pick your fish right off the ice and have it charcoal grilled at Armazém do Peixe in Afurada de Baixo. The wait staff will cheerfully de-bone for you at the table without recrimination. The many course meal at dusk (including Bacalhau) with ever-flowing local wine at Morgadio Da Calcada winery in Provesende is one of my top ten best meals ever. I'm always on the prowl for an unmushy veggie patty (you CAN get a McPlant in Portugal). Hard to do better than the meatless burger at Surviaria, a craft beer hall in Amarante. All this to say that if you don't feel like emerging from your warren on market day to buy fresh, you can ALWAYS find a tasty meal out in Portugal.
I can commiserate and you are rather spot on. Although, I'm in Caldas da Rainha on the Silver Coast and we have amazing Indian, excellent sushi, Chinese (just found the good place in Rio Maior), Mexican, Italian and even some really good Portuguese places! I would whole heartedly agree that you have to be choosy where you eat (love the lettuce, tomato, onion "salad" comment), especially if it's local fare. If you find the right places, it can be delicious. We don't crave it though, like we do other ethnic foods (Americans here). I could eat Indian, sushi and Chinese alone and be very happy. That said, like much of Portugal, it's not 100% obvious what is so special... but, it's there if you take your time to find it!
Thanks for this article. I have seen so much salted bacalhau in the shops and markets. It usually smells to high heaven.
I believe any person can eat well in Portugal. There are so many options. My son is dairy intolerant and does not eat red meat - the options available to him are outstanding. We eat out at Restaurants and cook at home. I have found just about everything in the shops that I have found back home in South Africa, and we live in a small town (Anadia). Btw we just call it Algarve.
It’s not the Portuguese food that’s marginal. It’s the cuisine. Portuguese food is great - the olive oil, bread, eggs, seafood… My cooking has greatly improved because of the quality of the food in Portugal.
But the cuisine? I call it Post-Dictatorial. White rice, over-cooked boiled potatoes and boiled cabbage 🤢. Don’t get me started on Bacalhau - it’s not 1850. There is no need to salt fish for a long transport home. Not only do we now have refrigeration, but ships actually can package and flash-freeze as cod is caught. Maybe this information will catch on in another 50 years…
I’m grateful to live in Porto, where we have great Asian and Mexican restaurants. Except for the fruit they put on sushi… I keep a long list of favorite restaurants in Porto. Very few are Portuguese.
If you'd try the recipes of before Salazarism, you'll find that in Portugal they were eating curry in the renaissance, and Vindaloo in the same age. There are marvellous recipes in old books, and we should just thrown Maria Lourdes Modesto's one out of the window, to make space to those where Arab cuisine, Roman cuisine, and Iberian flavours are present, mixed up with spices and a lot of eggs and vegetables :)
You don’t know what cod dishes are then… enfim
Thanks for this article!
I live in Lisbon, where as you stated, you can find most EVERYTHING for a vegan or vegetarian diet in either many restaurants (where younger Portuguese chefs are starting to realize that vegetables are important) or in grocery stores ( such as Celeiro or Go Natural). Even in our local Pingo or ALDI I’ve seen a huge selection of vegan processed “meats” ( seitan, tofu, TVP) and a even a bigger selection of vegan cheeses in the Go Natural. We are lucky because we have a huge Auchan grocer with a banging selection of world foods/spices as well as vegan foodstuffs hard to find elsewhere.
I’ve read people complain about the lack of food items in many a Portuguese Expat FB group, but I’ve always assumed they live in a tiny village somewhere, not Lisbon, because it’s all here. I might suggest try ordering via Amazon Spain if your local shops don’t supply basics of vegetarian staples. Or make a monthly pilgrimage to Lisbon ( or Porto?) to gather rations.
As for your Algarve question, I’ve only heard “The Algarve”. But who knows. Oh, and that Times writer can suck it! Lol!! 🤣😂 As a former chef of 25 years, I will say there is no such thing as “soggy cod” here. Admittedly, the food here isn’t French gastronomy by any means, but it’s solid in its preparation and simply prepared. And there is nothing wrong with any of that. 🍤🔪🍽️
There are a lot of terrible restaurants in Portugal, I am afraid. There are some good ones, and a very handful of excellent ones. Unfortunately, trying to cater for customers in search of very cheap food means very cheap ingredients.
I would disagree with you on that statement. I think the quality of the meats, eggs , fresh vegetables and most importantly fish here is excellent. Where are you finding all the terrible places?I'm sorry that this has been your experience here.
I understand this is a concept hard to swallow, but unfortunately the quality of cheeses and hams and meats and vegetables here is very low: even projects like Matéria cannot scratch the surface of the issue: vegetables are sold without quality (tasteless eggplants, huge watery courgettes only good for soups, industrial meats, cheeses with saponification). Working in the area of gastronomy brings a lot of disappointment when shopping. Luckily; there are few producers (like the potatoes from Reis or tomatoes from Hortelão do Oeste) that are easier to find.
Just yesterday I said those exact words “I’m not a fan of Portuguese food” out loud to my SIL when looking through a Portuguese recipe book! All of the points you make above, Nancy, are spot on. I agree that the bread, wine, and fresh vegetables purchased at the Mercado are far superior to what was available in the US. I’ve lost almost 10 pounds in the year we’ve lived here...and it’s not from limiting our diet! We’ve even been known to order a dessert or pastry which we almost never did in the US.
Regarding russet potatoes...the closest I’ve found (at the Continente) is “Batatas Especiais para Fritar.” They come in a bag that includes a variety of sizes. I usually can find a bag with 2-4 larger sized spuds that I save for baking, the others I like to use in soups. What I find interesting is that they are not “scrubbed clean” like packaged potatoes in the US...they come with a bit of dirt on them.
Oh, regarding the most important topping for that baked spud...sour cream! Not to be easily found here, but a substitute can be made by draining plain Greek yogurt in a sieve lined with coffee filters for several hours in the refrigerator. The result is a nice thick “sour cream” that is wonderful on potatoes, in a bowl of chili, or as a topping for a frittata.
you can get Nata acida at Aldi and other spots.
I agree with you 100%. I am primarily a vegetarian but occasionally eat fish or even a churrascara chicken. I also live in a small tourist village(Luso) and am really sick of veggie burgers, which seems to be the only option besides the lettuce, tomato onion salads. With amazing gardens everywhere why not experiment and try a new recipe. Sometimes my Portuguese friends will say they’ll cook me a “special “ meal because I’m vegetarian. Please don’t 😬 as they are always the mentioned overcooked vegetables with no seasoning. It seems to be beyond Portuguese chefs sadly, to look for a recipe outside of their typical range. I love going to Porto or Lisbon just to have some culinary variety. As you said I didn’t move here for the food, but the people and the lifestyle are well worth having to cook most of my meals.
We love food as proven by last nights dinner... had the most awesome eggplant Parmesan at a friends house. But let me start here. I had one friend at work that I told about our upcoming move to Portugal. Whilst keeping it a secret from the rest of my coworkers she became my confidant because upon mentioning our upcoming (exploratory) trip she said her sister was going to PT because she was planning on moving here. Her sister is vegetarian and came back broken hearted because she claimed she had no options for good vegetarian food anywhere in Portugal. Now I’ve only been here 8 months, but having many vegetarian friends, I’ve not experienced a lack of delicious plant based options anywhere in the Algarve. ( I think
of it like saying the South, the Midwest, the Desert Southwest, the Great Plains or the Pacific Northwest. But then I do say Alentejo and NOT The Alentejo... so I guess I’m no help on that question)
Back on topic, we LOVE the food here and are thrilled to keep exploring new versions of the local cuisine. It’s wonderful when you are in an area that has a variety of options but we live in a town that prides itself on having mostly “traditional” restaurants. My main complaint is that most restaurants are a snack bar and consist of the same menu as the rest. Toasties, baguettes, and sandies of ham or cheese or mista or tuna and occasionally shrimp or chicken. And a hamburger. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish one place from another when the menus are identical. Of course I have identified the superior toastie. If not a snack bar, the grilled fish, chicken piri-piri and pork dishes are usually exceptional. I’ve yet to figure out a way to get the sides you would prefer. I’m amazed that a chicken entree comes with rice and French fries. Or both our meals come with fries and the amount arriving can feed a family of six.
I would love more variety here, but that’s my excuse to explore the neighboring towns and villages. So I’m not really complaining. I too am amazed at the quality and variety of fresh produce readily available everywhere, and the lack of that showing up on menus anywhere. My interpretation of that is an assumption. As Americans we simply dined out a lot and it became less of a special occasion and more of the norm. Here, just maybe, cooking at home is where all these lovely vegetables shine and when the Portuguese dine out they want meat. I don’t know if that’s accurate or if so, is it simply cultural or a symptom of the past. Being a once poorer nation is it a remnant of the peasant culture or from availability of ingredients during the years of the dictatorship. I don’t know. But we spend a lot of time listening to spoken Portuguese by watching the fun chefs teaching you their favorite PT recipes on 24 Kitchen on cable TV.
All said. I’m in love with Portuguese food and my expanding waist line can attest to that. The deserts are amazing and not just sicky sweet, but full of flavor. And I am a fan of the soggy salty cod... which luckily I’ve never found to be soggy or salty. Maybe I’m lucky and have ordered it at the right restaurant on the right day. But I’ve tried it many different ways and other than finding the occasional bone, I’ve loved every bite.
Thank you Nancy for another fun blog. Until next time!
I love portuguese food (most of it) - but my comment goes to the british food critic :) lol. I have found that many of the british people I know really only like their own british food. Which is funny, since the rest of the world thinks that british food is really not that good. So unlike the critic says, I go to Portugal for many reasons, but one of them is also the food ....
Since Al means “the” and thus “Algarve “ means “the West”, it’s probably more correct to say Algarve rather than “the the west” 😊 Not a big fan of Portuguese food though I do enjoy the fresh fish.
Thank you...Algarve it is.
Apart from the excellent roast chicken at Pingo Doce, my favorite eateries in Porto are Thailander and Restaurante Grande Palácio Hong Kong. Perhaps you can guess my leanings from the names of the restaurants?
Oh, and one of the absolute best vegan restaurants in Lisbon is Organi in Chiado.
Ha! I get where you’re coming from. We recently visited Porto & because I love custard, pastry, meat, bread & cheese, I had no problem finding yummy food. We did buy fruit from the local market for some healthier choices. The fruit was amazing! I also love seafood, so the popular seafood & rice soup was a favorite of mine. I loved the Francezinia , but could pass on the Bacalau . The wine there is good, and inexpensive. We love port so we were in luck!!
I will say by day 7, I was happy to find a French bistro that served quiche & a fresh salad. Pescatarian is the way to go if you’re watching your waistline, but walk the city daily & there should be no problem keeping slim.
Well written and with the requisite touch of humor.
I agree totally with this article. It’s funny though how over time you adapt to the local cuisine.
My wife is vegetarian and doesn’t like eggs or mushrooms so eating out was a bit challenging in smaller places in Portugal. Lisboa offered many choices. In the smaller towns I tended to cook at our airbnb’s. Like you I found some fantastic produce in Portugal and they have good shelf stable tofu in most grocery stores. Overall I wasn’t impressed with restaurant food but definitely found a few gems, usually involving fish.
I am a vegetarian -- but like Nanc, occasionally wander into the pescatarian wilderness, especially for fresh-caught temptations. You can pick your fish right off the ice and have it charcoal grilled at Armazém do Peixe in Afurada de Baixo. The wait staff will cheerfully de-bone for you at the table without recrimination. The many course meal at dusk (including Bacalhau) with ever-flowing local wine at Morgadio Da Calcada winery in Provesende is one of my top ten best meals ever. I'm always on the prowl for an unmushy veggie patty (you CAN get a McPlant in Portugal). Hard to do better than the meatless burger at Surviaria, a craft beer hall in Amarante. All this to say that if you don't feel like emerging from your warren on market day to buy fresh, you can ALWAYS find a tasty meal out in Portugal.
I can commiserate and you are rather spot on. Although, I'm in Caldas da Rainha on the Silver Coast and we have amazing Indian, excellent sushi, Chinese (just found the good place in Rio Maior), Mexican, Italian and even some really good Portuguese places! I would whole heartedly agree that you have to be choosy where you eat (love the lettuce, tomato, onion "salad" comment), especially if it's local fare. If you find the right places, it can be delicious. We don't crave it though, like we do other ethnic foods (Americans here). I could eat Indian, sushi and Chinese alone and be very happy. That said, like much of Portugal, it's not 100% obvious what is so special... but, it's there if you take your time to find it!
Thanks for this article. I have seen so much salted bacalhau in the shops and markets. It usually smells to high heaven.
I believe any person can eat well in Portugal. There are so many options. My son is dairy intolerant and does not eat red meat - the options available to him are outstanding. We eat out at Restaurants and cook at home. I have found just about everything in the shops that I have found back home in South Africa, and we live in a small town (Anadia). Btw we just call it Algarve.