Portuguese Cuisine: Bacalhau, Pastéis de Nata and the World's Most Travelled Food Culture

Portuguese cuisine is shaped by Atlantic geography, medieval trade and four centuries of exploration. The country's 830 km coastline made the sea central to its food culture: fresh fish (sardines, sea bream, bass, mackerel) were eaten daily in coastal communities, while bacalhau — dried and salted Atlantic cod, fished from the waters of Newfoundland and Greenland — became the protein that sustained both the fishing fleets at sea and the interior farming communities who could not afford fresh fish.

The Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula (711–1492) left permanent marks on Portuguese cooking: the use of almonds, honey and citrus in pastries; the affection for rice dishes (arroz de pato — duck with rice — is essentially a cousin of Moorish-influenced rice preparations); the complex spice vocabulary of cloves, cinnamon and cumin.

The Age of Discovery changed Portuguese food twice over. Outward-bound, Portuguese sailors carried their bacalhau, olive oil and wine to every port they established. Inward-bound, they returned with chillies (now inseparable from Portuguese and the cooking of all former Portuguese territories), potatoes, tomatoes, maize, pineapples and sweet potatoes — all New World crops that became embedded in the national diet. The piri-piri chilli (*Capsicum annuum*), brought from Brazil to Mozambique and Angola by Portuguese traders, was adopted so thoroughly into local East African cooking that it is now considered an African ingredient.

Modern Portuguese cooking sits firmly in the Mediterranean tradition — olive oil, garlic, onion, tomato, white wine — but with an Atlantic emphasis on salt fish, seafood and the particular richness of egg-yolk-enriched pastries developed in convents across the country from the 16th century onward. Portuguese convent sweets (*doces conventuais*) — made from the egg yolks that nuns had in surplus after using whites to starch their habits — are among the most elaborate dessert traditions in European history.

**Bacalhau (salt cod)** — The national obsession. Buy dried salted cod from a fishmonger or Portuguese deli; it must be desalted by soaking in multiple changes of cold water for 24–48 hours before use. The longer and thicker the fillet, the better the quality.

**Olive oil** — Portugal produces outstanding olive oil, and uses it liberally. The Alentejo and Trás-os-Montes regions produce oils of real distinction. Use extra-virgin for dressings and finishing; a lighter variety for frying.

**Chouriço (linguiça)** — Portuguese smoked, paprika-seasoned pork sausage, distinct from Spanish chorizo in its finer grind and slightly different spice balance. Used in caldo verde, rice dishes and as a charcuterie staple.

**Piri-piri** — The African bird's eye chilli that returned to Portugal via Mozambique and Angola. Piri-piri sauce (chillies, olive oil, garlic, lemon, herbs) is the defining condiment of Portuguese grilled chicken. Substitute: any hot sauce mixed with olive oil and garlic.

**Vinho verde** — 'Green wine' from the Minho region: young, slightly sparkling, low-alcohol white wine with bright acidity. Exceptional with seafood and lighter fish dishes. Used in cooking as well as at the table.

**Malagueta chillies** — Small, intensely hot chillies from Brazil, now grown in Portugal, used in piri-piri sauce and marinades.

**Egg yolks (in excess)** — The basis of Portuguese convent pastries: pastéis de nata, toucinho do céu (almond and egg cake), ovos moles (egg yolk confections from Aveiro). Portuguese egg-based pastries use yolks in quantities that would alarm most recipes.

**Prego rolls** — A Lisbon institution: thin slices of beef marinated in garlic and bay, flash-fried and served in a crusty roll. The beef is the key ingredient; the roll is secondary.

**Sardines (sardinhas)** — Fresh sardines grilled over charcoal (sardinhas assadas) are Portugal's most iconic summer food, particularly during the June santos populares festivals. Also preserved in olive oil in tins, and consumed with relish on toast.

**Quejo da Serra (and other Portuguese cheeses)** — Queijo Serra da Estrela, a soft sheep's milk cheese from the mountains, is Portugal's most celebrated cheese — semi-liquid in its young form, scooped onto bread. Queijo de Azeitão and Queijo de Évora are also outstanding.

**Black-eyed peas and chickpeas** — Pulses are central to Portuguese cooking in a way that sets it apart from French or Italian cuisine. Chickpea stews with bacalhau and eggs (*bacalhau com grão*) are fixtures on restaurant menus.

**Bay leaf (loureiro)** — Portuguese cooking is unusual in its generous use of fresh bay leaves, which have a distinctly more aromatic character than dried.

**1. Desalting and cooking bacalhau** — Every bacalhau dish begins with proper desalting (24–48 hours in cold water, refrigerated, with 3–4 changes of water). Once desalted, the standard cooking method is gentle poaching in water, milk, or a mixture, with a bay leaf and onion, for 12–15 minutes until the flesh flakes easily. Never boil bacalhau at a rolling boil — it toughens. The skin and bones are removed after cooking.

**2. Making açorda (bread-based dishes)** — Açorda is a uniquely Portuguese bread preparation — a type of bread porridge or loose bread mash that uses stale bread as a primary ingredient rather than a garnish. The most famous is açorda de mariscos (seafood açorda): olive oil, garlic and coriander are warmed together, stale bread is added and broken down with seafood stock into a thick, flowing porridge, seafood is stirred in and raw eggs are whisked in at the last moment for a silky, emulsified finish.

**3. Piri-piri marination and grilling** — Frango piri-piri (Portuguese grilled chicken) requires marinating spatchcocked chicken in piri-piri sauce for at least 4 hours (overnight is better). The chicken is then grilled over charcoal, bone-side down first for 20 minutes, then skin side for 12–15 minutes, basting frequently with the marinade and oil. The skin should be deeply charred in spots, the flesh juicy throughout.

**4. Pastéis de nata custard technique** — The defining skill is creating a custard that blisters and partially caramelises on the surface in a very hot oven (260°C+) without completely setting. The custard is made from egg yolks, sugar syrup (not just sugar), cream, flour and vanilla — the flour stabilises the custard at high heat, allowing the surface to reach blistering temperature while the centre remains trembling and silky.

**5. Cataplana cooking** — A cataplana is a hinged copper clam-shaped vessel unique to the Algarve. Ingredients are sealed inside with olive oil, garlic, wine and aromatics and cooked over moderate heat — a combination of steaming and braising in their own juices. Ameijoas na cataplana (clams with chouriço in a cataplana) is one of Portugal's most spectacular dishes. A lidded sauté pan can substitute.

**Makes 12 | Prep: 40 min + 30 min rest | Cook: 15 min**

*Pastéis de nata* were created by monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon in the early 19th century. The recipe of the original bakery, Pastéis de Belém, remains a guarded secret — this version produces exceptional results.

**Pastry:** - 200 g plain flour - Pinch of salt - 80–100 ml cold water - 150 g unsalted butter, very soft (not melted)

**Custard:** - 300 ml whole milk - 3 tbsp plain flour - 250 ml double cream - 300 g caster sugar - 150 ml water - 1 cinnamon stick - Strip of lemon zest (5 cm) - 7 egg yolks - 1 tsp vanilla extract

**Method — Pastry:** 1. Mix flour, salt and enough cold water to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead briefly. Rest 30 minutes. 2. Roll into a rectangle approximately 30 x 40 cm. Spread the soft butter evenly over the surface to the edges. 3. Fold in thirds (like a letter), turn 90 degrees, and roll out again. Repeat folding and rolling three more times, adding no more butter. This creates a rough, non-laminated layered dough. 4. Roll into a tight log from the short end. Refrigerate 20 minutes. 5. Cut the log into 1.5 cm rounds. Press each into a well of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, pressing the dough up the sides and over the rim with wet thumbs.

**Method — Custard:** 1. Whisk flour into a few tablespoons of the cold milk until smooth. Add remaining milk and cream. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a thin béchamel. Remove from heat. 2. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, cinnamon stick and lemon zest. Bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes (do not stir once boiling). Remove cinnamon and zest. 3. Slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the warm milk mixture, whisking constantly. 4. Cool slightly, then whisk in egg yolks one by one. Add vanilla. Strain through a fine sieve. 5. Preheat oven to its highest setting (260°C / 240°C fan). Fill the pastry cases three-quarters full with the custard. 6. Bake for 12–15 minutes until the custard is blistered and dark in spots (almost burnt-looking) and the pastry is golden. Cool briefly and dust with cinnamon and icing sugar.

**Serves 4 | Prep: 30 min (+ 24 hr soaking) | Cook: 25 min**

*Bacalhau à Brás* is one of Portugal's 365 bacalhau preparations — thin-cut salt cod with shoestring potato crisps, scrambled eggs and black olives. It was created in the Bairro Alto neighbourhood of Lisbon.

**Ingredients:** - 500 g bacalhau (salt cod), soaked 24–48 hr, drained - 300 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks (julienne) - 1 large onion, thinly sliced - 3 cloves garlic, minced - 8 eggs, beaten - 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil - 1 bay leaf - Handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped - 12 good black olives (Kalamata or Portuguese) - Salt and black pepper - Vegetable oil for deep-frying

**Method:** 1. Poach the desalted bacalhau in barely simmering water with a bay leaf for 12–15 minutes until the flesh flakes. Remove, cool, then pull into thin shreds, removing all skin and bones. 2. Deep-fry the julienned potato in hot oil (180°C) in batches until golden and crisp — like fine shoestring fries. Drain on paper towels. Season lightly. 3. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and golden, 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. 4. Add the flaked bacalhau to the onion mixture. Stir gently and heat through. 5. Season the beaten eggs with white pepper (taste before adding salt — the bacalhau provides salt). Pour over the bacalhau mixture. 6. Stir gently and continuously over medium-low heat — as you would for very soft scrambled eggs — until just barely set. The eggs should be creamy and slightly underdone; they continue cooking after you remove the pan from heat. 7. Remove from heat. Fold in most of the potato crisps gently (leave some aside for texture on top). Scatter with parsley, olives and the remaining crisps. Serve immediately.

Portugal is a small country with surprising regional differentiation. **Lisbon** and the Estremadura coast define the popular image of Portuguese food: pastéis de nata, prego rolls, grilled sardines, *bacalhau com todos* (bacalhau with potatoes, chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs and olive oil), and the beloved bifanas (marinated pork sandwiches with mustard).

**Porto** and the north are fiercely proud of distinct traditions. Tripas à moda do Porto (tripe with white beans and chouriço) gave Porto residents the slightly dismissive nickname *tripeiros* (tripe-eaters), which they have embraced with civic pride. Francesinha — a heart-stopping sandwich of meats and cheeses in a spicy tomato-beer sauce — is Porto's defining contribution to world street food.

**The Alentejo** — the vast, sun-baked interior — has a slow-cooked, peasant food tradition of extraordinary depth. Migas (crumbled fried bread soaked with olive oil, garlic and coriander), açorda, and Alentejo black pork (*porco preto*, the acorn-fed black Iberian pig) are the region's proudest dishes.

**The Algarve** — the southern coast — produces outstanding shellfish: barnacles (*percebes*), razor clams (*lingueirão*), clams (*ameijoas*) and Algarve cataplana dishes. The local almonds, figs and carob are used extensively in southern Portuguese pastries.

**The Azores**, 1,500 km out in the Atlantic, produce some of Europe's finest beef, dairy and cheeses, as well as cozido das Furnas — an extraordinary stew slow-cooked underground in volcanic hot springs in São Miguel for 6–8 hours.

A Portuguese meal is unhurried and generous. Food is a serious pleasure, not a performance.

**Aperitivo (aperitif):** A glass of cold Vinho Verde or a small glass of ginjinha (sour cherry liqueur) with olives, cheese and presunto (cured ham).

**Primeiro prato (starter):** Caldo verde — a silky potato and kale soup with a disc of chouriço floating in the centre — is one of the best soups in European cooking. Alternatively, grilled sardines in summer or açorda de alho (garlic and egg bread soup) in winter.

**Prato principal (main):** Bacalhau à Brás for an accessible, crowd-pleasing centrepiece. Alternatively, frango piri-piri (for outdoor cooking), or arroz de pato (duck with rice, baked in the oven until a crisp crust forms).

**Salada e acompanhamentos:** Baked potatoes rubbed with olive oil, roasted peppers with garlic and parsley, a simple tomato and onion salad with good olive oil.

**Sobremesa (dessert):** Pastéis de nata, warm from the oven, with a dusting of cinnamon. Or arroz doce (rice pudding with cinnamon) — Portugal's most comforting dessert.

**Coffee and digestivo:** A *bica* (short, intensely strong espresso) is obligatory. Follow with a glass of Aguardente (Portuguese brandy) or Licor Beirão.

**Wine:** Vinho Verde with starters; Alentejo red (Herdade do Esporão, Mouchão) or a Douro red with bacalhau.