Bom apetite!

A Portuguese menu comprises mostly of seafood and shellfish due to Portugal being a country that practices fishing on a large scale. The national dish of Portugal is Bacalhau which is the cod fish after being dried and salted. The Portuguese are immensely fond of cinnamon and curry powder! The history behind bacalhau is quite interesting. Fisherman used to dry their fish and then salt it so that it doesn’t go bad and lasts much longer. Bacalhau can be cooked in 365 ways! A new kind for everyday of the year. That is a lot of fish in one year!

Arroz de marisco is also another popular seafood dish which comprises of a heavy dose of seafood mixed with rice. Cozido à portuguesa is a national dish that is prepared with various varieties of meat and a lot of vegetables and made into a thick stew.

A famous ceremony seen in most households is the killing of the pig and then preserving it. It involves, smoking the ham, preserving various part of the pig in salt.

Lunch, is a bigger affair in Portugal in comparison to dinner. People spend over two hours at lunch and people eat at leisure. Caldo Verde is another famous soup which comprises of potato, cabbage and pieces of sausage.

For those with a sweet tooth, the regular desserts are cinnamon flavoured rice pudding, flan, caramel custard and certain kinds of cheese – the most famous being queijo da serra which is prepared from sheep or goat’s milk. Portugal is also known for its world class pastries. These patisseries were opened by nuns who run them to have a source of income. Pastel de nata is a famous dessert which is custard sprinkled with cinnamon.
Portuguese bread is delicious! Always try the bread placed on the table of a Portuguese restaurant!

All this food talk has made me really hungry! Both for the knowledge of the language and the cuisine!
Enroll yourself at ELTIS-SIFL’s for their Portuguese classes today and take some Portugal tradition back with you!