Best of Portugal

Portuguese cuisine

Portugal is located to the south western part o the European continent and is one of the prominent among the first world countries of the world and has consolidated its position in the world map. It is interesting to note that Portugal was initially subjugated by the Romans and at that time it was known as Lusitania. In fact the roman ‘Porto Cale’ is the root source of its name. It was in the 12th century that Portugal became an independent territory and since then it has colonized various territories worldwide. Therefore, the history of Portugal makes it evident that over the passage of time, Portugal has interacted with multifarious cultures and therefore some of these cultural values or components have penetrated into its own culture as well. This is particularly noticeable in case of its cuisine and while it is undeniable that Portugal has inherited a rich indigenous cultural heritage, foreign influences have also occupied an important position.

The most important and well known of Portuguese gourmet is of course its wine and the superior quality wine produced in the vineyards has attained fame all over the world. The most popular among the different wine varieties produced in the country are the Port wine and Madeira wines. The south and west of Portugal are surrounded by the formidable Atlantic Ocean and therefore a lot of sea food and sea fish varieties are included within the Portuguese diet. These include sardines and cod fish. Moreover, pork and meat are used in sausages as well for other dishes. Some of the enriched delicacies include caldeirada, feijoada, bacalhau, chorico, cozido, francessinha, pastel de Belem. However, it must be remembered that one of the most important ingredients of Portuguese cuisine are the pine nuts and olive oil which have been cultivated in Portugal since antiquity. The magnificence of the Portuguese cuisine has attracted and lured food lovers worldwide.