Dish guides
Portuguese dishes explained
Portuguese menus lean on salt cod (bacalhau), grilled fish and hearty sandwiches, and the café counter is full of custard tarts. Names can be hard to pronounce from the spelling alone, because European Portuguese swallows many of its vowels. These guides explain the dishes and show how to ask for them.
All guides
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Bacalhau à BrásShredded salt cod with onion, matchstick potatoes and scrambled egg.
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BifanaThin pork slices simmered in garlic and white wine, served hot in a crusty roll.
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Caldo verdePortuguese potato soup with finely shredded greens, olive oil and a slice of chouriço.
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Carne de porco à alentejanaPork marinated in wine and red pepper paste, cooked with clams and topped with fried potatoes.
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CataplanaSeafood, fish or pork stew steamed in a closed, hinged copper pan from the Algarve.
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FrancesinhaPorto's meat-filled sandwich under melted cheese and a hot beer-and-tomato sauce.
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LeitãoWhole roast suckling pig with crisp skin and a peppery sauce, from the Bairrada region.
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Pastel de nataPortuguese custard tart in crisp puff pastry with a blistered top.
Allergens to keep in mind
Salt cod dishes mean fish, and many also use eggs and cream. Sandwiches and pastries bring gluten, some sauces are made with beer or wine, and some francesinha sauces use seafood stock. These notes are general and can be incomplete: recipes vary, so if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.
