In Lisbon, gastronomic tourism is a perfect option to get to know the city and the culture in depth. The lifestyle and habits of a population are clearly reflected in their typical dishes. For example, in the case of this city, the influence of the sea is noticeable from the beginning, since many of its most traditional dishes feature fish, wines and cheeses. Wines accompany all their dishes, usually reds from Douro and Alentejo. You have to try all the cheeses, from Serra, from the center or from the Azores. Finally, speaking of their sweets, we cannot miss the sweet taste of the pastels de nata. Discover the best typical food of Lisbon!
Must try food in Lisbon
1. Caldo verde
The green broth, originally from the north of the country, is made with Galician cabbage, kale or cabbage. It is prepared with a sauce of onion and garlic in which sliced potatoes are browned, to later cook them with water or broth and mash them in a potato mill. The recipe ends by adding the very finely cut cabbage and an already golden chorizo so that everything cooks for 5 minutes, it acquires a greenish color and the flavors mix.
2. Bacalao a bras
Cod, the crown jewel of Portuguese cuisine, takes center stage in countless traditional dishes. However, its true brilliance shines through when prepared using the revered “a Bras” recipe, also known as golden cod. This exquisite culinary creation combines tender, cooked, and shredded cod with crispy straw potatoes and luscious beaten eggs, resulting in the legendary dish known as Bacalhau a Bras, a symphony of flavors that tantalizes the taste buds and delights the senses.
3. Francesinhas
It is the most famous and hearty sandwich in Portugal. It is made by placing meat and sausages on toasted sliced bread, among which there may be sausages, ham, mortadella, veal or pork fillets. Later, it is covered with another slice that is crowned with slices of cheese au gratin and, sometimes, an egg on top. But this would be nothing without its hot sauce, made with beer and tomato.
4. Alentejana-style pork
Alentejana-style pork is a typical dish of the cuisine of Portugal and more specifically of the Algarve region. Portuguese cooks gave this name to the dish to indicate that the meat used was Alentejo pork, a tastier meat because the pigs ate cork oak acorns, not like Algarve pork which was drier because the pigs were fed with fish remains. This recipe combines the best of the Portuguese land with the best of the Atlantic, the clam.
5. Pastries of Belem
It is the Portuguese sweet for excellence, and in Lisbon you will see pastry shops that make them by hand everywhere. They are made with puff pastry and have a filling made from milk, egg yolk and sugar that makes them very sweet. They can be eaten hot and cold. Do not miss the most artisan cakes, in the Antiga Confeitaria de Belem, in the Belem neighborhood, where they say they follow the original recipe for these cakes.