Traditional Portuguese food at Lisbon Airport

Traditional Portuguese food at Lisbon Airport 



We flew into Lisbon this morning on TAP Portugal Airlines just in time for lunch, and with a couple hours to kill before our connection to the Madeira Islands in the Azores.

Normally I wouldn’t blog about airport food. But this is different, trust me. Thanks to O Mercado in Terminal 1, we got to savour pratos tradicionals or traditional Portuguese dishes, which is definitely something to write about.



Anyone who has tasted Portuguese cuisine knows that the national dish of Portugal 🇵🇹 is salted codfish. I know that sounds rather unappetizing but not if you refer to it by its official name Bacalao or Bacalhau. Sounds way better, right?  But it’s the things the Portuguese do salted codfish it that are so remarkable.


The codfish is caught in the frigid waters of the North Sea, and has been cured in vast quantities of salt and dried under the Mediterranean's hot sun. This ancient method of preservation means the salted dry cod can be stored indefinitely at ambient temperatures, with no bacteria or mould able to grow.

 
Due to religious reasons which frowned upon meat eating on Fridays, Lent etc, Bacalhau has become the cornerstone ingredient in Portuguese cooking. The country has a love affair with the pungent-smelling dried fish and it takes pride of centre place in most Lisbon restaurants.


We tried the Bacalhau croquettes with the local beer on tap as our starters
For the entree, we decided to try three local favourites



We enjoyed some of the most delicious pork ribs that probably came from the world-famous Iberian black pig: Porco Preto. This melt-in-your-mouth meat was so delightful, it was almost sinful 😋



When discussing Alentejo, one always thinks of the acorn-fed pigs with their uniquely flavoured meat. Turns out that lambs🐑 too have something to say about that, it’s in baa-baa language so let me help you with a photo of the juiciest lamb shanks ever 😋




Last but by no means the least was Octopus 🐙 cooked in the Portuguese way. 🥰! The fishing zone off the coast of Portugal is known for producing the best octopus since flavour, texture and tenderness are directly affected by the ocean's temperature and salinity. Portuguese octopus has a delicate flavour and mild salinity, tasting of the ocean without being fishy. Having lived in Cyprus for years and having eaten a fair share of octopus, I can truly say that Portuguese octopus is unlike any I’ve had. 

Bom Apetite, as they say in Portuguese!


Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 10, 2024 at 6:58 AM

    Amazing! The Portugese food is delicious! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

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