Portuguese Food Recipes

Portuguese food recipes share many traits with those of Spain, this much due to the shared cultural history. The recipes are filling and often include olive oil, chili peppers and herbs. The Atlantic coast have made fish and seafood common, curiously it is a dried imported fish that perhaps is the most treasured. Wine is the most common drink. To understand the cuisine of Portugal it is necessary to know its history, so here is a brief history of Portugal.

The History of Portugal
Up until the 9th century AD Portugal pretty much shared its history with Spain. Celtic tribes inhabited the area when Romans arrived in the 3rd century BC, before then Phoenicians had set up some trading towns along the southern coast. The Romans had conquered the whole peninsula by 133 BC, they stayed for a few hundred years and left a cultural heritage that is quite visible in the cuisine of today; olive oil and wine are two examples that were popularized by the Romans. The Germanic tribes that brought the Western Roman empire to an end also conquered the Iberian peninsula. North African and Asian Muslims (jointly called the Moors) invaded from the south in the 8th century AD, they were stopped in modern northeastern Spain by Frankish forces. The Moors stayed on the peninsula until the late 15th century, before then they had gradually been driven out in a process known as the Reconquista. In the wake of this the county of Portugal was establihed in 868, it became a sovereign kingdom in 1139. By the mid 13th century Portugal encompassed pretty much the same territory as it does today. In the early 15th century started the Portuguese exporations of the seas, an endevour that eventually would result in an empire with colonies around the world and great riches due to trade and gold mining. The beginning of the decline started when, due to lack of heirs, the Portuguese crown was seeded to the Spanish king and the Habsburgs. A result was that Portugal got involved in Spains many unsuccessful conflicts in Europe and elsewhere, in the end they lost valuable colonies around the world. After a short war a Portuguese king was reinstated in 1640, the royal house of Braganza would rule the country until 1910 when a revolution following an economical crisis overthrew the king and instated a republic. The centuries in between had seen a gradual decline, in the end basically only the colonies in Africa remained under their control. The rich Brazil had been lost in a chain of effects that had started with Napoleon France's attempt to conquer Portugal. Portugal were fighting with the Allies in WWI. Bad economy led to a military cue in 1926, in 1933 the fascist dictator Salazar took the helm. Portugal remained neutral during WWII. The famous unbloody Carnation Revolution ended the fascist rule in 1974and Portugal became a democracy. A colonial war for independence had started in Africa during the 1960's, this was ended in 1974 and so did the Portuguese era as a colonial power. Macau was their last colony, transfered to China in 1999. In Portugal you have many people with roots in former colonies, this has affected the national cuisine quite a bit. The country joined the EU in 1986, pretty soon they benefited and developed quickly. Since the late 2000's the country has been in a financial crisis.

Portuguese Cuisine
Like I mentioned earlier Portuguese recipes are quite similar to Spanish. They are quite rustic and rich in flavour, a difference is that they use more fish and seafood. Charcoal grilled sardines is a traditional snack along the coast, fresh tuna is common in the south. The national addiction of eating dried and salted cod, known as bacalhau, started more than 500 years ago. Cod that was fished in large quantities was easy to transport and a cheap nutritious food. The fish is not domestic to the oceans outside Portugal but is fetched outside Norway, Iceland and Newfoundland. Bacalhau is the main ingredient in hundreds of recipes. The Portuguese like spices and herbs like saffron, coriander and the African piri piri pepper (which is extremely potent); this fact has a probable connection to the fact that they traded with spices for centuries. The Romans left a lasting impression on the Portuguese cuisine, they made olive oil, garlic and wine popular. From the New World colonies arrived a wide array of new plants and ingredients that with time became key ingredients in most Portuguese food recipes; Such as the potato, the chili pepper, the bell pepper, the tomato and the zucchini. Although fast food has established itself, it has never become as dominant as in some other Western countries. The high rate of immigration from around the world have brought new ingredients and eating habits.

Some Ingredients And Dishes Of Portugal
Although many types of meat is consumed, pork is the most common. Many species of fish and seafood are traditional. Many fruits, vegetables and grain are produced and consumed. Bread is eaten with most meals, cornmeal and wheat flour are the most common flours. Dairy products are not that popular though there are a few varieties of cheese. Below is a list of some Portuguese dishes and foods:

Queijo da serra Cheese made from goat's milk.
Linguiça Is a smoked and spiced pork sausage.
Francesinha A haevy sandwich made with ham, sausage, steak meat and cheese. Served with a beer an tomato sauce plus french fries. That is a hangover sandwich with a big H!
Espetada Barbecued skewered meat, a possible remnant of the Moors.
Cozida a Portuguesa A very typical mixed meat stew.
Tripas à la Porto A tripe stew.
Feijoada Is a mixed meat and bean stew. Considered the national food of Brazil.
Caldeirada A mixed fish and seafood stew.
Carne de porco à alentejana Fried pork with clams.
Açorda Is a mashed bread stew that can contain fish and seafood.
Fios de ovos Candied egg thread used for decoration.
Bola de Berlim The filled doughnut known as Berliner in English.
Arroz doce Sweet rice pudding.
Pastel da nata A custard tart sprinkled with cinnamon powder.

Portuguese Beverages
There are quite a few alcoholic beverages worth mentioning from Portugal. Madeira and Port are fortified wines on world wide export. Vinho verde is a young wine with very fruity and fresh flavour. There are several wine producing regions like Dão and Alentejo. Of strong spirits brandies are most popular.

Submitted Portuguese Food Recipes
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