Popular Dishes & Drink in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo Region
For my first ever blog post I want to uncork some interesting facts about the delicious food and drinks you’ll find in the popular Lisbon and Vale do Tejo region of Portugal! This is the region where my family is from so it feels like the right place to start.
Typical Portuguese food
Overall the main staples throughout Portuguese cuisine are bread, fish, sausages, seafood, olives, and pastries. When you visit the different regions throughout Portugal, you’ll notice how each region puts their own twist to each popular dish.
A bit about the region
Here are a few typical dishes that originated in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo area. I include Vale do Tejo because that is how the regions are broken down in Portugal. The cities and towns that are included in this region are Lisbon, Peniche, Sintra, Cascais, Nazaré and many more.
My parents are from the northern part of this region called Ourém. The municipality of Ourém contains two cities: Ourém and Fátima.
They moved from their village to Lisbon and lived there for a few years before coming to Canada. Once I was born, we would travel back and forth to Lisbon every year for vacation and to visit family.
One of my best memories of travelling to Portugal when I was younger was how electric Lisbon was with so much energy and people. That and how fresh and delicious the food was!
Let’s start with the morning rush…
The one thing I noticed was that first thing in the morning when everyone was on their way to work, they all stopped by a coffee shop / bakery to grab their espresso. Sometimes they would grab a quick toast with butter and cheese or ham (torrada com manteiga e queijo ou presunto). The thick bread is cut into 3 sections so it's easier to eat. It was madness and fascinating at the same time.
The smell of coffee and pastry was always in the air. When my parents and I would walk in, most people were standing at the bar ordering their morning espresso so we would find a table. Most of the time because it was so busy my dad would go up to the bar and order us coffee and toast with ham and cheese. I would always get a Galão which would be 90% foamed milk and 10% coffee. The typical Galão is 75% foamed milk and 25% coffee.
Now of course sometimes, we would have the famous custard called pastel de nata. These custards are pretty much eaten anytime of the day. But mostly for a late morning snack or with your afternoon coffee.
The pastel de nata was invented in the 18th century, by monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in Santa Maria de Belem (west of central Lisbon). During this time, they would use egg whites as a starch for the nuns’ habits so they would have left over yolk. So to avoid going to waste they would use them to make desserts. They crafted these custards and started to sell them to create income to support the monastery.
After the monastery closed in 1834, the recipe for the pastel de nata was sold to the owners of Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, which opened in 1837 right next to the monastery, and is the most famous place to try custard tarts in all of Lisbon - in all of Portugal for that matter. Still used today, the original recipe for these yummy custards is a closely guarded secret. Everyone that goes to Lisbon, always stops into this bakery and the custards are known as Pastéis de Belém. What’s the difference between a Pastel de Belém and a Pastel de Nata? Basically, Pastéis de Belém is the original, and the only café that can sell under the name Pastéis de Belém is the original café by the same name.
What should we have for lunch?
After breakfast and walking around downtown Lisbon and shopping of course, we would go for lunch, usually around 1pm. Lunch is typically from noon to 3pm and it's a nice leisure meal, nothing rushed as everyone enjoys the experience.
As a starter my parents would order an appetizer that originates in the Lisbon area called Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato. This is a dish of clams made with olive oil, white wine, garlic and cilantro. It is usually served as an appetizer with bread. Yes, we Portuguese love our bread!
This dish is named after 19th-century Lisbon poet Raimundo Antonio de Bulhão Pato, a well-known Portuguese gastronomist who often mentioned the dish in his writings.
Once we had this then we might order another traditional meal that originated in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo area which are Grilled Sardines or Sardinhas assadas. Sardines are roasted whole over an open fire and seasoned with coarse sea salt. It is usually served with boiled potatoes and salad with a side of cornbread. They are very good for you too as they are low in mercury and very high in omega-3 fatty acids! Getting hungry just thinking about it.
There is an annual Sardine Festival in Lisbon for two days in June called the Feast of St. Anthony. Everywhere you walk around in the streets of Lisbon, your nose will follow the heavenly smells of freshly grilling sardines, the streets are filled with music, dance, wine and beer, and free fun for everyone. There is also a colourful parade along Avenida da Liberdade.
These types of street parties are called the arraiais, as they are locally known, and are the biggest and best street parties you’ll find in Lisbon. The narrow cobblestone streets are filled with street food stalls and entertainment.
Speaking of bread…
Speaking of bread, the Pão de Mafra is made with wheat and rye flour, high water content, salt and yeast was originally made in the Mafra municipality. It’s location of origin contributed to its intense and distinctive taste. This area is where the cultivation of wheat close to the sea and mild climate originated and where the handmade flour was from the mills. The women managed the dough and the men built the typical masonry ovens to bake the bread.
Now that other regions make this bread the actual process is called “Mafra” because of the technique originated in that area. This bread gained popularity in Lisbon when it was brought to the city to sell in the 1950s due to the shortage of bakers due to strikes. But by the 1960s the government imposed a regulation that prohibited the sale of any homemade bread made by a mill. Only flour from national mills would be approved to sell. But some of these ladies from this town would make this homemade bread and sneak it to Lisbon and Sintra to sell by the trains. Fortunately by the mid 1970s this regulation was removed and the Pão de Mafra was available to sell again in the original recipe. Today the baking of this bread is going strong and provides steady employment to the people in Mafra.
Another dish that originated in Lisbon is Bacalhau à Brás. Of course cod fish (bacalhau) is a national fish and has soooo many versions of how to cook it. They actually say there are over 365 ways! This one is made from shreds of salted cod, onions and thinly chopped (matchstick-sized) fried potatoes, all bound with scrambled eggs. It is usually garnished with black olives and sprinkled with fresh parsley. The recipe is said to have originated in the old quarter of Lisbon called Bairro Alto by a tavern owner named Brás.
Sometimes we would order one of the more popular dishes for families in Portugal which is the grilled chicken or frango assado as we say. This is their favorite choice for fast food as it includes an entire grilled chicken (usually cut into pieces), with french fries and salad or can also come with rice. The grilled chicken is marinated while cooking with a mix of olive oil, garlic, lemon and wine. Piri-piri or hot sauce is only added if you ask for it.
Other popular dishes from the Lisbon area
Caldo Verde (soup made with collard greens, potatoes and chouriço (pork sausage)
Pastéis de bacalhau (fried codfish fritters - combination of codfish, eggs, potato, onion, parsley and a little hint of nutmeg)
Pataniscas de bacalhau (fried shredded codfish - coated in wheat flour, egg puree and onion)
Cozido à Portuguesa (a rich stew that usually includes beef shin, pork, assorted offal, Portuguese smoked sausages (morcela, farinheira and chouriço), chicken; served with cabbage, carrots, turnips, rice, potatoes, and collard greens
Arroz doce (Portugal’s signature rice pudding that is made with lemons and cinnamon)
What do we drink?
As for drinks, the one drink that is very well known and originated in Lisbon is a sour cherry liqueur called Ginja or also called Ginjinha. It is a very sweet Portuguese liqueur made by infusing ginja berries (grown in Óbidos and Alcobaça) in alcohol (aguardente) and adding sugar together with other ingredients, with cloves and/or cinnamon sticks being the most common. Ginjinha is served in a shot form with a piece of the fruit in the bottom of the cup and can also be served in a chocolate cup. Lip-smacking good! Que bom!
I remember walking by a small little bar in downtown Lisbon where people would line up to get one. There are many little establishments in Lisbon entirely dedicated to selling the sweet beverage and some have been open for over a century!
Other great towns in the region
In other areas of the region, Peniche was also a place we would visit quite often as we had friends that lived in that town. Peniche is known as the surf capital of Europe and has amazing fish dishes. One of them that was created by the fishermen of Peniche around the 15th century is a one-pot fish stew called Caldeirada. Originally this stew was made of just fish fills due to the difficult times of finding food but today it is made up of a variety of great meaty fish like ray, conger, John Dory and Monkfish to add to the stew’s flavor along with onion, tomatoes and peppers. And of course a side of bread to soak up the sauce!
Other favourite Peniche traditional dishes
Arroz Marisco (a signature Portuguese seafood rice combining mussels, prawns and clams)
Salada Polvo (octopus salad)
Peixe grelhado (grilled fish)
Now let's go to Setúbal which is just south of Lisbon. It is on the northern bank of the Sado River, one of the major rivers in the country. One of the dishes that originated there is called choco frito. It is a local specialty and consists of fried cuttlefish served with potato chips or fries, salad and lemon wedges to squeeze onto the choco frito. Nice and crunchy on the outside but tender on the inside. This is often served as a petisco which is a snack similar to tapas.
Also originating in the municipality of Setúbal, a town called Azeitão produces a wonderful cheese called Queijo de Azeitão. It was named one of the 50 best gastronomic products in the world by the Great Taste Awards. It is also popular to have pastries made from this cheese called Tortas de Azeitão.
Other favorite traditional dishes in Setúbal
Marisco (seafood plate)
Caldeirada à Pescador (Sesimbra) (fisherman's fish stew)
Sardinhas (sardines)
Wine Regions in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo surrounding areas
After all this food talk, we really haven’t gone into drinks much except for the ginja in Lisbon. BUT the region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo do have wineries with some great grapes grown in the region. Some of those grapes are under the Lisboa label and are made with Arinto, Fernão Pires for white wines and Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet for red wines.
There are much more though and they range from all over this particular region with their own specific blends.
Here are some of the other wine growing regions in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo zone. These wineries have Portugal 's highest wine classification as a Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC).
Bucelas DOC
Colares DOC
Setúbal DOC
Carcavelos DOC
Alenquer DOC
Torres Vedras DOC
Arruda DOC
Óbidos DOC
Lourinhã DOC
Tejo DOC
Encostas de Aire DOC
Bairrada DOC
Lafões IPR
Vinho Verde DOC
Trás-os-Montes DOC
Porto DOC & Douro DOC
Távora-Varosa DOC
Dão DOC
Beira Interior DOC
Alentejo DOC
Palmela DOC
I know that was A LOT of information for this particular region and I just highlighted what can be “uncorked”! This region along with all of the other regions in the country have amazing food and drink to learn about and enjoy. Hope you enjoyed this trip around the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo region of Portugal and look forward to sharing more about the others!