14 Traditional Portuguese Foods To Try in 2025
While Portuguese food is generally less well-known than European counterparts like French, Greek and Spanish food, it's well worth trying thanks to recipes packed with rich and flavorful ingredients.
Portuguese food often makes fresh seafood the star of the show, with hearty meat dishes also abundant. Plus, there are many delicious and unique sweet treats to indulge in like the famous pastéis de nata.
Whether you're interested in learning to cook Portuguese dishes or are visiting Portugal soon and want to know what food you can't miss trying, this guide is a must-read! It features 14 of the country's most popular dishes, including sweet and savory delights.
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The 14 Best Portuguese Dishes To Try
1. Bacalhau à Brás
If you’re looking for the quintessential Portuguese food, look no further than the popular bacalhau à brás. This seafood dish features shredded salted cod, chopped onions and thinly sliced fried potatoes. It’s all combined with eggs, giving it a creaminess, and is finished with a sprinkling of olives.
This comfort dish is said to originate from the taverns in the Barrio Alto neighborhood in Lisbon and is now served throughout the country. Traditionally, this Portuguese food is enjoyed with a glass of vinho verde.
2. Peixe Grelhado
Another popular Portuguese food is peixe grelhado, which translates to grilled fish. This dish has been popular for centuries due to the country’s proximity to the coast. To make this Portuguese food, fish is drizzled in olive oil and a sprinkle of salt before being grilled over charcoal until the skin turns crispy and the inside is tender.
Popular types of fish used in this dish include sardines, bass, mackerel, red snapper and bream. Locals often enjoy the fish with a side of vegetables or a light salad and a glass of white wine.
3. Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato
Many of the most popular Portuguese foods involve seafood and amêijoas à Bulhão Pato is no different. This delicious clam dish was named after the 19th-century poet Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato. It is said that Bulhão Pato wrote about a chef in one of his poems and the chef was so impressed he named this seafood dish after the poet.
This Portuguese food comprises clams that are cooked in a broth made with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, white wine and cilantro. When enjoying this dish, make sure to have a slice or two of white bread covered in salted butter to soak up the extra sauce.
4. Polvo à Lagareiro
Whether you’ve tried octopus before or not, tasting polvo à lagareiro is a must if you have the opportunity. This simple but delicious Portuguese food is traditionally served during Christmas as a special holiday meal and is enjoyed throughout the country.
The dish consists of octopus cooked with a generous amount of olive and garlic, which enhances the natural flavor of the sea creature. It’s usually served with small, slow-baked potatoes and topped with fresh cilantro.
5. Açorda
Have you ever considered turning stale bread into a gourmet meal? Well, that’s what açorda involves! This Portuguese food features bread soaked in broth and is a common side dish that is extremely popular in Alentejo. While this soupy bread dish may not be to everyone’s tastes, it is a great Portuguese comfort food.
In Alentejo, this dish is made by soaking bread in hot water, olive oil, garlic and cilantro. Depending on the region, this soup may have different broths or seafood. Some variations will include lemon juice, mussels, clams or prawns.
6. Sardinhas Assadas
You can’t talk about Portuguese cuisine without mentioning sardinhas assadas, a traditional and popular street food and bar dish. Sardinhas assadas is simply grilled sardines. While this dish may seem simple, it is packed with flavor and is a favorite among locals and tourists alike.
Locals will typically serve this dish during Santos Populares, a series of traditional street festivals, and in Lisbon during the exciting Feast of St. Anthony. However, you can find these grilled sardines served at bars, restaurants and street food stalls throughout the year.
The sardines are seasoned with coarse salt and grilled over an open flame until crispy. This Portuguese food is finished with a drizzle of olive oil and is often accompanied by roasted peppers and potatoes.
7. Cataplana de Marisco
When learning about Portuguese food, you’ll find that various kinds of stew rank among the most popular dishes in the country. One of the most beloved stew dishes is a seafood stew called cataplana de marisco, which is named after its cooking method and originates from the coastal region of Algarve.
'Cataplana' is a clam-shaped copper cooking pot that allows dishes to cook for a long time without burning, creating a rich and flavorful stew. Typically, this stew consists of shrimp, fish and other crustaceans, plus tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and cilantro.
It’s all cooked in a white wine sauce which creates a delicious tomato and wine-based broth. Some people also add the smoky pork sausage linguiça for additional flavor.
8. Francesinha
The dish named Francesinha, which translates to Little French, is a sandwich that originated in the bustling city of Porto. This comforting and moreish Portuguese food comprises two slices of white bread filled with ham, steak, sausage and linguiça (cured pork sausage).
It’s also covered in melted cheese and a unique beer and tomato sauce. But that’s not all! The sandwich is served with a fried egg on top and a side of French fries to mop up all the sauce. The dish is said to have been created by Portuguese residents who had recently returned to the country from France and didn’t want to be outdone by the French’s cheesy croque monsieur.
9. Cozido à Portuguesa
Cozido à Portuguesa is one of Portugal's most beloved dishes. Originating in the Beira region, this traditional boiled meal is prepared in different ways these days, depending on the region. In fact, on São Miguel Island in the Azores, this dish is cooked underground by volcanic heat!
Traditionally, this stew is made with a variety of meats like chicken, pork and beef. Some recipes also add smoked sausage. Vegetables, including cabbages, carrots, turnips and potatoes, are additionally cooked in the stew and the dish is served with rice. Pair this Portuguese food with a glass of red wine and enjoy the simple and rustic flavors.
10. Bolo de Bolacha
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’re going to enjoy this Portuguese food. Bolo de bolacha (biscuit cake) is a simple but decadent no-bake dessert made by layering Marie biscuits with rich buttercream frosting.
The entire cake is then soaked in coffee and topped with a sprinkling of chocolate or biscuit crumbs for extra crunch. Sometimes, the buttercream is swapped out for fluffy whipped cream and the dessert has a similar flavor profile to an Italian tiramisu. This dessert is popular amongst Portuguese households because of how easy it is to make while still being decadent and delicious.
11. Porco Preto
Portuguese food is more than just seafood. It also includes delicious meat dishes like porco preto (Iberian black pork). Iberian pork, also known as the Alentejo pork, is native to the Iberian Peninsula which includes parts of Portugal. The pig breed used for this meat is believed to be a descendant of the pigs brought over by the Phoenicians, who bred their swine with wild boars.
This pork is enjoyed in many ways, from being grilled with a sprinkle of salt to being stuffed into sausages or served sliced on a charcuterie board. The slightly nutty flavor of the pork stands out without any need to cover it in marinade or sauce.
12. Leitão Assado
When it comes to Portuguese food, leitão assado (suckling pig) is a must-try. This dish is generally reserved for special occasions and celebrations, but Mealhada in central Portugal is known to serve it to tourists all year round.
The meat is rubbed with garlic, coarse salt, pepper and a touch of pig fat before being roasted for hours in aromatic eucalyptus wood-burning ovens. This preparation and cooking method creates meat that has a crispy outside and a juicy and tender interior.
13. Arroz de Pato
This Portuguese food is a comforting dish of succulent duck paired with rice that has been cooked in wine and duck fat. Arroz de pato originates from the small city of Braga in Northern Portugal.
The preparation of this Portuguese food is very simple: boiled and shredded duck meat is placed on top of a bed of rice which is baked. Just before serving, sliced chouriço sausage is added and the dish is served with refreshing slices of fresh orange.
14. Pastéis de Nata
When you think of Portuguese food, you’re probably picturing pastéis de nata (sometimes written as pastel de nata), and for a good reason. These sweet pastries have a creamy and smooth custard filling in a flaky pastry shell, creating an indulgent and moreish combination.
These iconic pastries are a staple sweet treat that dates back centuries. It is believed that the custard pastries originated at the Jerónimos Monastery in the Lisbon district of Belém, where nuns and monks would turn leftover egg yolks into treats. By 1820, monks began selling these pastries to make money to save their monasteries and covenants.
These days, you can find the pastries across Portugal and even in bakeries around the world but Pastéis de Belém, a bakery in the dessert’s native city of Belém, is probably the most famous place to get them from. This bakery makes the treat fresh daily, following what is thought to be the original Jerónimos Monastery recipe.
Learn To Cook Traditional Portuguese Food
While dining at a Portuguese restaurant or even traveling to Portugal is an amazing culinary experience, learning to make some delicious Portuguese dishes in a cooking class near you is also a fun idea. Under the guidance of a professional chef, you'll discover the tricks to preparing authentic Portuguese recipes as well as fusion dishes and classics with a twist. You can also whip up tasty Portuguese food in your own kitchen thanks to convenient online cooking classes.
The food scene in Portugal is buzzing and offers foodies a variety of exciting seafood meals, tantalizing meat dishes and mouthwatering desserts that all pair perfectly with a glass of wine. Whether you're visiting this beautiful country, dining out at a Portuguese restaurant or making some new things in your own kitchen, all you need to do is decide which Portuguese food to start with first!
For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.
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