1. Ensalada de Pulpo (Octopus Salad)
Since Lisbon sits on a widening of the Tejos River, it's not a surprise that seafood is a large part of the local diet. When I visited Lisbon with Venture with Impact, I expected to eat lots of seafood, but I didn't realize what a variety this city offered.
Octopus and crab are local and delicious! Here I am tasting an octopus salad. Maybe eating this seafood delight will make me smarter; they are, after all, one of the smartest sea creatures.
3. Perceve (Barnacles)
When our guide told us that barnacles are a delicacy in Portugal, we didn’t believe her. Then, I saw this sign in a Lisbon tavern. I have to admit, I didn't try the barnacles, but you can
5. Ginjinha (Cherry Liqueur)
Ginjinha (gin GEEN uh) is a popular Portuguese cherry liqueur sold all over for one to two euros per shot. And it's consumed any time of day by the Portuguese - you don't even have to use the excuse, 'It's five o'clock somewhere!'
Even if you don't try ginjinha, you have to try Portuguese Port. It's a type of fortified wine said to have originated in Porto. Since brandy is added during the fermentation process, the final product is much sweeter and has a higher alcohol content than wine. A great after-dinner drink.
+ Try the sardines, then pack some canned sardines to take home as a treat for your family and friends.
Bom apetite!
2. Caldo Verde (Green Soup)
If you're a soup fan, or just want something to warm you up on a cold day, try Caldo Verde. You'll find this soup everywhere in Lisbon. It's made of kale and other vegetables.
4. Bacalao (Cod Fish)
Now here's something I found really interesting about Portuguese bacalao, better known to Americans as cod. Portuguese fishermen first discovered cod in the cold waters near Newfoundland hundreds of years ago. (Remember, they produced some well-known explorers.) The fishermen salted and dried the cod in order to preserve it for the long trip home. Then, in order to make it edible, one had to soak it in water or milk for a few days to soften it and remove the salt. Despite all of the fresh fish available today, salted and imported cod is still very popular. In fact, the Portuguese claim to have more than enough recipes to serve it a different way each day for a year.
6. Pastel de Nata (Egg Custard)
The Portuguese love their pastries. I do, too! But why are so many Portuguese pastries yellow? As the story goes, these now ubiquitous yellow pastries began with the Catholic nuns. They could afford to have chickens that, then, produced eggs. These hard-working nuns used the egg whites to starch and whiten their vestments. They didn’t want to waste the egg yolks so they combined them with the relatively inexpensive sugar from Brazil to create many yellow – colored pastries. Although there are so many varieties, make sure to try pastel de nata, an egg custard pastry.