PORTUGUESE CUISINE / LOCAL WINERIES / NIGHTLIFE
Portugal offers an experience for all food and wine lovers.
Portuguese cuisine includes a lot of meat and fish, seafood, potatoes and rice. The traditional national dish is the Cod (Bacalhau) in all kinds of ways. Sardines (Sardinhas assadas) are also typical, but you can also enjoy salmon, swordfish, mullet or tuna. There is an endless selection of fish and seafood from octopus, prawns, cuttlefish to clams, crawfish, crabs, mussels and oysters. Those who prefer meat can choose pork, beef and poultry too. Another typical dish is Cozido a portuguesa – beef and pork stew with cabbage, carrots, smoked sausage. Also Francesinha – toast sandwich stuffed with steak and several types of sausage with a slice of cheese on top and topped with a slightly spicy sauce. Maybe you have heard once about Feijoada – stewed beans with beef and pork prepared in a clay pot. Portuguese like soups, favourite ones are Caldo verde, Creme de marisco or Açorda (sopa alentejana).
If you like sweet, there is plenty of choice from abundant breakfast to afternoon dessert. Typical sweet there is Pastel de nata – small puff pastry cupcakes filled with eggs yolks, milk and sugar. Also Pastel de feijão – a cupcake made of shortcrust pastry with white bean filling with the addition of almonds, egg yolks and cream. Well-known are Ovos Moles – a sweetened yolk with cream in a thin rice dough, originally from Aveiro town. Coffee is popular in Portugal and you can find coffee’s everywhere all round.
Portugal is especially famous for its port wine, but its wine is also one of the best. It is a country with a long history of wine with a varied selection of varieties for red (Vinho tinto), white (branco) and rosé (rosé) one. A young slightly sparkling green wine is also famous (Vinho verde).
In surroundings of Santa Cruz, near Torres Vedras is possible to visit the ADEGAMAE or QUINTA DA ALMIARA winery, where you can get know the local wine-making process, you will enjoy the view of the surrounding vineyard with a glass in your hand or you can go for a romantic picnic in the gardens of Quinta with a basket of wine and regional products such a chees, chorizos, bread, olives and other delicacies.
Are you a beer lover? You will also enjoy their lagers with a selection of Sagres, Super Bock or Cintra beer.
If you are in mood for something stronger, taste Aguardente (local brandy made from grapes) or Gingja (cherry liqueur).