While I was in the U.S. for seven weeks, spending 10 times what I spend in Portugal for food, I missed not only Portugal’s low prices but also some of my favorite foods. Some things I couldn’t get in the States and others I could, but they just weren’t the same.

This is not a food tourism article. You won’t find a pastel de nata mention anywhere. Nope, it’s also not written for snooty gourmets, fancy foodies, or kitchen wizards who love to cook. Let’s get that straight right out of the gate or, more appropriately, the box. This is a food list for your Average Joe gourmand — way less bon vivant refinement and way more pig-out enjoyment of stuff that tastes good to us. We average peeps who just like to eat (and drink). The kind of person who wouldn’t think twice about, say, polishing off a large bag or two of shrimp-flavored Lay’s potato chips in Bangkok. Then washing it all down with some possibly dangerous, eye-crossing Thai whiskey mixed with who-knows-what-kind-of-fruit juice. Yeah, baby!

You’ve been warned, so here, in no particular order, is my list of foods I love and missed while I was away from my home in Portugal. I bet you’ll find at least one you’ll want to try whenever you’re here. Let me know in the comments, por favor.

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Migas

Migas translates to “crumbs” and it reminds me of cornbread stuffing. Not all migas here is the same. Not even close. My hands-down favorite is made in a small churrasqueira in my village’s municipal market. They use cornbread crumbs, shredded kale or turnip greens, black-eyed peas, and chunks of bacon. A large container can feed four and costs 3.50€. Love, love, love me some migas!

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Sweet potato “cornbread”

Broas batata doce from a tiny bakery in Caldas da Rainha are the best I’ve tasted. The word broa means “cornbread” according to my translation app, but these sweet and moist buns have no resemblance to cornbread (broa de milho). Made with sweet potatoes, raisins, and nuts, broas batata doce are perfect with a cup of coffee or tea at breakfast.

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Monkfish rice

Arroz de tamboril is loaded with meaty, moist hunks of monkfish (tamboril) and some shrimp (camarão). Restaurants serve this deliciousness in a large pot for two or more people, and it takes a while to prepare. I like a lot of broth and not a lot of creatures with eyes and shells in my arroz de tamboril. I prefer this flavorful dish to the other seafood stews precisely because the cut-up pieces of monkfish are easy to eat, without a lot of messy hands-on scraping, pulling, twisting, and peeling. I leave the shrimp for last.

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Spicy pepper pesto on duck rice

I warned you this list is not for cooks or foodies. I don’t care what anyone says, Pingo Doce grocery store’s arroz de pato is surprisingly delicious! I discovered this entree in the freezer section when I first visited Portugal for a month in 2019. It is loaded with shredded duck and chorizo slices, and, in my opinion, just screams for a sauce to take it from a nine to a 10 on the taste-o-meter. Enter a jar of Pingo Doce’s spectacularly spicy pesto alla calabrese, and I am in heaven. I know, I know. It’s all loaded with sodium. It’s all so much better made from scratch. Whatever. This is fast and easy and cheap in a pinch, and I love it.

Keep in mind I also love shrimp-flavored Lay’s potato chips. Sorry, not sorry.

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Argentinian empanadas

Argentinian chef, author, and TV personality Chakall owns 12 restaurants in Lisbon and throughout Portugal. They range from high-end to casual, and several, including one on the beach near me, serve a to-die-for beef empanada with chimichurri dipping sauce. I am addicted to these when hot out of the fryer. The empanadas I tried while visiting Miami last month didn’t even come close to these, which cost 3.00€. This was my first stop after leaving the airport the day I arrived back in Portugal.

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Olives

Here’s a healthy one. Obviously, I could get olives anywhere in the U.S. Specifically, where I was in Ohio and Florida. But they just didn’t taste as wonderful as the olives here. The olives grown here, near my home. The olives marinated here in oregano and garlic. The olives that have become my favorite snack food and daily accompaniment to nearly every meal (refeição).

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Bread and cheese

Of course, bread and cheese are ubiquitous in the States. But a small stand in a nearby municipal market here sells the best warm, crusty bread, and this adorable heart-shaped cheese made locally with a mix of cow, goat, and sheep milks. Yum-my!

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Eggs

Again, I can get eggs anywhere, right? But Portugal eggs are unlike any I’ve ever purchased in U.S. supermarkets. Only brown eggs are sold in the stores I’ve seen here. They are not refrigerated. The yolks are bright orange, not yellow, and the cooked egg just tastes better and more flavorful. Portugal has spoiled me for any other store-bought eggs.

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Algarve oranges

Another healthy one. I was a clementine/mandarin orange devotee until I mistakenly ordered six bags of Algarve oranges. These oranges are grown in Portugal’s southern Algarve region, and they are the sweetest oranges I have ever tasted. I’m now a convert.

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There you have it. Not your typical Portugal food list… but this isn’t your typical Portugal blog, is it? Be that as it may, thank you for reading! ❤️

May your weekend find you savoring whatever food that makes you happy.

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All images are my own, except as noted.

The Hot Goddess

Instagram: retired_rewired_inspired

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