![\"Check](\"https:\/\/assets.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/portugal-food-facts-1.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto credit: Sea Me<\/a>; Text overlay: Devour Lisbon Food Tours<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How come the most famous ingredient in Portuguese cuisine, bacalhau<\/em><\/a>, doesn\u2019t come from Portugal? Yes, the Portuguese import salted codfish from Iceland or Norway and, yet, it remains quite affordable. The icy waters fish became part of the Portuguese diet circa the 14th century, around the time of the so-called \u201cAge of Discoveries.\u201d Presumably, salted cod was an alternative to fresh fish then and is now a culinary sensation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Despite the name, nata<\/em> is the Portuguese word for cream, none is used when baking the delicious bite-sized custard tarts known as pasteis de nata<\/em>. Only milk, sugar, eggs, and spices go into the custard. To keep that crisp on the outside and creaminess on the inside, the pastries are baked at very high temperatures and for a short period.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When Portuguese princess Catarina de Bragan\u00e7a married English King Charles II in 1662 and moved to England, she carried tea leaves in her luggage. The only Portuguese royal to ever become Queen of England would completely change the British culture with her habit of drinking tea and eating cakes in the afternoon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Continuing on the topic of tea, the biggest plantation in Europe is on S. Miguel Island in the Azores. Five generations of entrepreneurs have been running F\u00e1brica de Ch\u00e1 Gorreana since 1883, producing over 40 tons of tea a year. It\u2019s such a high-quality product that it\u2019s one of the ingredients of Lisbon Breakfast, a custom-made blend produced by Companhia Portugueza do Ch\u00e1 and a unique Lisbon souvenir.<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you expect to see an emerald-green liquid inside a glass when you order vinho verde<\/em> (\u201cgreen\u201d wine), you\u2019ll be disappointed. The \u201cgreen\u201d here stands for young because this slightly sparkling wine undergoes a very short fermentation time. It\u2019s light and fruity, served chilled, paired with petiscos<\/em><\/a> or fish, on a hot Summer day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n No, it\u2019s not a vegan dish. It\u2019s an actual pork sausage that has no pork meat in it<\/a>, despite looking like a pork sausage on the outside. Confused? The name is alheira<\/em> and it\u2019s made with chicken and bread instead of pork.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n To avoid persecution by the Inquisition in the 16th century, the Portuguese Jewish communities ingeniously disguised their religious beliefs in plain sight. According to the Jewish tradition, they couldn\u2019t eat pork but would stand out from the crowd if they didn\u2019t preserve sausages and hung them for everyone to see. Then, the alheira<\/em> was born and would, later, become a staple dish of Portuguese cuisine.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n READ MORE<\/em><\/strong>: A Guide to Portuguese Sausages: 7 Varieties You Should Try & How to Eat Them<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Before 2014, ordering a imperial<\/em> (draft beer) prompted the question \u201cSagres or Super Bock?\u201d In many bars, those were the only brands of beer available. Portuguese, mass-produced, and affordable. Eventually, you\u2019d get a Guinness on tap at an Irish Pub, but that was it. Then the craft beer Lisbon<\/a> scene exploded with Cerveteca, the first craft beer bar in the city.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Finding a decent wine for under \u20ac3.00 a bottle is as easy as going to the wine section at the supermarket. A few guiding rules: bottle not a box, cork not a plastic cap, when in doubt look for the DOC acronym on the label. It stands for Denomina\u00e7\u00e3o de Origem Controlada<\/em> and means the wine was produced in one of the oldest wine producing regions. Not ready to commit to a bottle just yet? There are plenty of Lisbon wineries<\/a> to get acquainted with the best wines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Enter a Portuguese restaurant and, in most of them, a waiter will put a basket of bread, olives, and cheese on the table without asking your permission. You\u2019d assume it\u2019s complimentary considering you didn\u2019t order it and they didn\u2019t ask you, but the surprise comes when it\u2019s time to pay the bill. Typically, that set of appetizers won\u2019t cost more than a few euros and most customers won\u2019t see it as a big deal. That said, if you don\u2019t want it, send it back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Are you coming to Lisbon?<\/strong> The cuisine is Mediterranean, and yet you can tell it apart from the Greek, the Italian, or the Croatian. The bacalhau<\/em> is Norwegian or Icelandic. The spices are Indian. The chili and peppers are South American. And the cataplana<\/em> (fish stew) is Moorish. Olive oil is a basic ingredient and the wine production a key economic activity, but it\u2019s an inheritance of the Arabic and Roman past, respectively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n All the dishes that make up the so-called Portuguese Cuisine is a mix of centuries of cultural influences, and that\u2019s what makes it unique.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n1. Salted codfish is not Portuguese<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/devourlisbonfoodtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Best-seafood-lisbon-bacalhau-a-bras.jpg\")
2. Pastel de nata has no cream<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Custard](\"https:\/\/assets.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/responsible-travel-in-San-Sebastian-cured-ham-and-sausages.jpg\")
3. Afternoon Tea was a Portuguese Habit<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/assets.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0540-e1515250167955-1.jpg\")
Photo credit: Sandra Henriques Gajjar<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n4. The Biggest Tea Plantation in Europe is on a Portuguese Island<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
5. “Green Wine\u201d is not Green at All<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Quinta](\"https:\/\/assets.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/3763198498_98d40f2c48_o-1.jpg\")
6. There\u2019s a Pork Sausage without Pork Meat<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
7. The Craft Beer Scene is Very Recent<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"If](\"https:\/\/devourlisbonfoodtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/craft-beer-lisbon-amo-beer.jpg\")
Photo credit: theblocklisboa<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n8. You Can Find Good Quality Wine at Supermarkets<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
9. Starters at Restaurants are a (Paid) Habit<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Don’t waste a single meal\u2014check out our ultimate foodie guide to
where to eat in Lisbon<\/a>!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n10. There\u2019s no Such Thing as \u201cPortuguese Food\u201d<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/assets.devourtours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Best-Seafood-Lisbon-acorda-1.jpg\")