Seafood is popular, especially in Lisbon and along the coast. Other culinary highlights include grilled meats from the interior, a wide variety of wines and decadent pastries plus olives and fresh bread to start off each meal.
Bacalhau (dried cod) is cooked in over 100 different ways -
bacalhau à Gomes (cod casserole with potatoes and onions) and
bacalhau com natas (cod baked with cream) are two popular incarnations.
Things to know: Table service is normal. There are no licensing hours.
National specialties:
• Açorda
de mariscos (shrimp stew cooked in a bread bowl).
• Cabrito assado (roasted kid).
• Caldo verde (green soup made with finely shredded green kale leaves in broth).
• Carne de porco á Alentejana (fried pork covered with a sauce of clams stewed with tomato and onions).
• Pastel de nata (custard tart) is the national dessert.
National drinks:• Portuguese wines have undergone a renaissance in recent years. Top regions include the Dão, the Douro, the Alentejo and the Minho (for its
vinhos verdes). The highest quality wines are labelled DOC (Denominação de Origem Controlada).
• Port wine is justly famous; the best vintages are produced in the Douro valley east of Porto, the birthplace of port.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: Generally 10-15%.
NightlifeThere are many ways to enjoy an evening out in Portugal, with larger towns hosting an array of entertainment options. Locals and expats alike mingle at
bars, nightclubs,
theaters,
concert halls and
cinemas. Traditional
Fado, which is most popular in Lisbon and Coimbra, can be heard in many restaurants and music venues; performances typically begin around 2200. Gambling is legal and Espinho, Estoril, Figueira da Foz and Monte Gordo have
casinos. The once-elegant Estoril Casino outside of Lisbon is the most renowned.
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