European Union member Potrugal. Petiscos and salgados pastries.

Portugal is well worth the trip for those who like authentic foods. There are in all areas of agriculture, species and varieties that have developed over the course of centuries and millennia in harmony with their natural surroundings. The same is true of many of the ways of preparing food such as hum, sausages, cheese, dried fruits and candy, or one of the large range of recipes, all of these are firmly rooted in tradition. There are historical reasons why Portugal still has such a wealth of culinary delights. The country was cut off from the outside world for over 40 years until 1974 when the dictatorship founded by Salazar came to the end. Since Portugal joined the European Union, traditional culinary doesn't changed.




Petiscos are small delicacies that can be compared with Spanish tapas. It is usual to order in cafes, pubs and bars a pratinho, a small plate of them. The portions are usually so generous, that two petiscos will quell the feeling of hunger for hours. Some pubs serve petiscos from 11 in the morning onwards, but the favored time for eating them is in the late afternoon. People go to the tasca, a simple bar, and have a glass of wine from the cask to accompany any of a range of marinaded fish, bean salad, pigs ears, actopus, fried or roasted pieces of meat and fish.




In contrast, salgados, salty pastries with spicy filling and are eaten as snacks throughout the day, from brealfast time through to midnight. They are made with choux or puff pastry, battered or sometimes left plain. the fillings are made out of fish, meat, sausages and sellfish mixed with potatoes and vegetables and seasoned with herbs and pepper. Salgados are either oven-baked or deep-fried.