Tuesday 17 March 2015

Mouth Watering Food















Hey guys! Hope you are hungry because today’s post is all about some of the traditional food you can eat in Portugal. These dishes are traditional from some regions of Portugal but all very delicious and tasty! :)

Appetizers. Normally when you arrive at a restaurant the best thing to sooth the live volcano inside your belly (hunger) is to start with having some olives, fresh cheese, fruit such as melon, presunto or paio with some bread. Cheese and ham are traditional in Portugal. There are many kinds and many types depending on the regions. The fresh cheese is put inside a cup and it’s white in colour. You can eat it as it is or you can do like me and add some salt and pepper and it will enhance its flavor. You can also be served other kinds of cheeses, more dried ones or more spicy… just indulge on it! The presunto is very salty but very good. The paio is also a kind of ham, also salty but not as much, it’s very good too.

Main course options. If I had to choose between a fish dish and a meat dish I would always choose the fish option, because I love fish. Grilled sardines with boiled potatoes and a green salad is just the most delicious thing. Cod fish with some boiled potatoes and veggies or with baked potatoes is also delicious, topped up with olive oil just makes my mouth water! If you are ever in the south of Portugal in Alentejo you have to… just HAVE TO try Migas. It’s a tradional dish from that region, made out of bread, served with pork meat. There are many kinds of migas, with tomatoes, with asparagus. It’s a must try dish, very delicious! And if you are not drooling yet with so much deliciousness, than I have one more option and it’s something you can find in the north of Portugal in Beira Baixa. Maranhos is made out of goat meat and rice with herbs and it’s cooked inside a small bag made out of the skin of the goat’s stomach. Wait!! Wait!! You don’t need to be grossed out because I can assure you it is a heavenly dish, trust me!

To finish off your meal you can have a bica. An “expresso” kind of coffee, strong and served in a small cup. The kind that will probably keep you awake for some hours, if you are not used to strong coffee, but after a meal like this, you will definitely need one!

If you want to know the name of the dishes in the pictures, here goes, from top to bottom:

Appetizers- Fresh cheese, olives, presunto, melon
Appetizers- paio, olives, cheese, sliced bread
Main course- Cod fish or bacalhau with baked potatoes, green beans and a side of veggies
Main course- Sardines with boiled potatoes, a salad and bread
Main course- Tomato migas with  pork meat
Main course- Maranhos with a salad
Expresso coffee or bica (Translation of the saying in the sugar pack "Lovers exchange secrets through a coffee")


Restaurants where you can find the food: 

Curral dos Caprinos in Sintra (for the maranhos)
Adeguita do Farrobo in Évora (for the Migas)


Enjoy yourself!