Portugal – The Jewel Cuisine of The Atlantic Ocean
I want to be wild, beautiful and free; “Said Portugal”
Portuguese cuisine is as rich as Its nature and landscapes. Portugal is a country that most of Its coast is part of the Atlantic Ocean, however, that little part that is the Mediterranean makes the country be highly influenced by the Mediterranean cuisine. Portuguese food is distinctive by the high amounts of fish and seafood consumed, it is one of the nations that consume fish the most worldwide.
Portuguese people love using spices, different seasoning and herbs, such as chilli pepper, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, saffron and olive oil. Their gastronomy is also influenced by North African and Middle East countries, which makes it even richer.
Portugal is a big producer of wines even though is not as famous as other countries like France, Spain or Italy, however, if you go to Portugal or if you find a Portuguese wine in a wine restaurant then give it a try. You will love it!
Portugal is very popular by sweets and pastries, and again, countries like France or Belgium are more popular when it comes to sweets, nevertheless, most of the things we know nowadays and that you can find in every home, have Portuguese origins such as Marmalade or Caramel.
Here are 3 of the most popular dishes in the Portuguese cuisine:
- Pastéis de Nata: This is the icon of the Portuguese cuisine, very popular and it could be even found in other countries, where the recipe was copied, however, you can only get the best ones in Portugal. It is an egg tart pastry dusted with cinnamon.
- Cataplana: The Catalpana is the container used for cooking a traditional Portuguese dish from the region of Algarve, the name is given to the dish as well. Cataplana contains different kind of fresh fish and seafood, wine, garlic and herbs.
- Bacalhau: It means cod and it’s basically a dried salted cod. They refer to the fresh cod as “The Fresh Cod” They have many ways of preparing the Bacalhau in Portugal, Portuguese people say that they have more than 1000 recipes of Bacalhau, which makes it one of the iconic ingredients of the Portuguese cuisine. If you travel to Portugal make sure you try at least a couple of Bacalhau recipes.
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