Despite being relatively restricted to an Atlantic sustenance, Portuguese cuisine has many Mediterranean influences. Portuguese cuisine is famous for seafood. The influence of Portugals former colonial possessions is also notable, especially in the wide variety of spices used. These spices include piri piri (small, fiery chili peppers) and black pepper, as well as cinnamon, vanilla and saffron. Olive oil is one of the bases of Portuguese cuisine, which is used both for cooking and flavouring meals. Garlic is widely used, as are herbs, such as bay leaf and parsley.Meals:A Portuguese breakfast often consists of fresh bread, with butter, ham, cheese or jam, accompanied with coffee, milk, tea or hot chocolate. Bread is not served with butter and should be placed on the edge of the main plate, or next to it on the table.A small espresso coffee (sometimes called a bica after the spout of the coffee machine) is a very popular beverage had during breakfast, which is enjoyed at home or at the many cafés that feature in towns and cities throughout Portugal. Sweet pastries are also very popular, as well as breakfast cereal, mixed with milk or yogurt and fruit.Lunch, often lasting over an hour, is served between noon and 2 oclock or between 1 and 3 oclock, and dinner is generally served late, around or after 8 oclock. There are three main courses, with lunch and dinner usually including a soup. A common Portuguese soup is caldo verde, which is made with potato, shredded kale, and chunks of chouriço (a spicy Portuguese sausage). Among fish recipes, salted cod (bacalhau) dishes are pervasive. The most typical desserts are arroz doce (rice pudding decorated with cinnamon) and caramel custard. There is also a wide variety of cheeses, usually made from the milk of sheep, goats or cows. These cheeses can also contain a mixture of different kinds of milk. The most famous are queijo da serra from the region of Serra da Estrela, Queijo São Jorge from the Portuguese island of São Jorge, and Requeijão. A popular pastry is the pastel de nata, a small custard tart often sprinkled with cinnamon.
Fish and seafood:Portugal is a seafaring nation with a well-developed fishing industry and this is reflected in the amount of fish and seafood eaten. The country has Europes highest fish consumption per capita and is among the top four in the world for this indicator. Fish is served grilled, boiled (including poached and simmered), fried or deep-fried, stewed (often in clay pot cooking), roasted, or even steamed. Foremost amongst these is bacalhau (cod), which is the type of fish most consumed in Portugal. It is said that there are more than 365 ways to cook cod, one for every day of the year. Cod is almost always used dried and salted, because the Portuguese fishing tradition in the North Atlantic developed before the invention of refrigeration—therefore it needs to be soaked in water or sometimes milk before cooking. The simpler fish dishes are often flavoured with virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar.
Portuguese Recipes:QueijadasPortuguese Custard Tarts - Pasteis de NataMalasadasPortuguese Kale SoupPortuguese SoupPortuguese Cod Fish CasseroleBeefs Portuguese StyleKale SoupPortuguese Steamed ClamsPortuguese Chicken Soup IIPortuguese Bean Soup IGreen Cabbage Caldo VerdePortuguese Bread French ToastKale Soup with Portuguese SausagePortuguese Chourico StewPortuguese Fresh Tuna (Sauce and Marinade)Portuguese Bean Soup IIQuince PastePortuguese Fava Bean StewChicken Blood RiceEspiros Dois (II)Espetadas (Portuguese Beef Shish Kabobs)Portuguese Walnut SquaresPortuguese Egg TartsPeach-Basil White SangriaPortuguese Beans with Kale and LinguicaPortuguese Egg PuddingPeach-Pineapple SangriaParadise of ChocolatePortugal CakesJAG (Portuguese Rice and Beans)Portuguese Lemon BavaroisPortuguese SopasPortuguese Coconut Cakes (Bolos de Coco)Caldo Verde VariationPortuguese Snow Drops