What to eat in Lisbon? Gastronomic tourism is a perfect option to get to know a city and its culture in depth. The lifestyle and habits of a population are clearly reflected in its typical dishes.
For example, in the case of Portugal, the important influence of the sea is evident from the beginning, since many of its more traditional dishes are based on fish and its wines and cheeses.
All dishes are served with wines, usually red wines from Douro and Alentejo. The cheeses must be tasted, from the Serra, those of the center or the Azores. And lastly, the sweet taste of cream cakes to put the cherry on top of a great meal is not to be missed. Discover the best typical dishes of Lisbon!
An end-of-year trip will not be complete if you do not try the local gastronomy. Schoolchildren will be immersed in the Portuguese culture in a fun and surprising way. Interacting with the Portuguese, making themselves understood and finding their way around the stores is part of an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Best typical dishes in Lisbon
In this article we propose you to discover the best traditional dishes of Portuguese gastronomy during your stay in Lisbon. Try this food:
Caldo verde
The green broth, originally from the north of the country, is made with Galician cabbage or kale. It is prepared with a frying sauce of onion and garlic with sliced potatoes, then cooked with water or broth and mashed in a potato masher. After this, the recipe adds finely chopped cabbage and a browned chorizo sausage to cook for 5 minutes, giving it a greenish color and blending the flavors.
Cod à brás
Cod is the Portuguese ingredient, being the protagonist of many of its traditional dishes. However, it shines in all its splendor when it is cooked with the à brás recipe, also known as golden cod. In this recipe, the cod is cooked and shredded and mixed with potatoes and beaten egg to form the famous and delicious scrambled eggs.
Francesinhas
This is the most famous and hearty sandwich in Portugal. It is made by placing meat and sausages on toasted bread, which may include sausages, ham, mortadella, beef or pork fillets. It is then covered with another slice that is topped with slices of cheese gratin and, sometimes, an egg on top. But this would be nothing without its spicy sauce, made with beer and tomato. You can’t leave Portugal without trying it!
Feijoadas
This dish made with beans is a Brazilian classic and has its origins in Portugal. These delicious beans are cooked with tomato, carrot, cabbage, chorizo and bacon, usually accompanied with white rice.
Pork Alentejana style
This dish is typical of the gastronomy of Portugal and more specifically of the Algarve region. Portuguese cooks gave this name to the dish to indicate that the meat used was Alentejo pork, a tastier meat because the pigs ate cork oak acorns, unlike Algarve pork which was drier because the pigs were fed with fish leftovers. This recipe combines the best of the Portuguese land with the best of the Atlantic: the clam.
Belém Cakes
It is a Portuguese sweet, and in Lisbon you will see pastry shops that make them everywhere. They are made with puff pastry and have a filling made of milk, egg yolk and sugar that makes them very sweet. They can be eaten hot or cold. Don’t miss the most artisanal pastries, at the Antiga Confeitaria de Belem, in the Belém neighborhood, where they say they follow the original recipe for these pastries.
Where to eat cheap in Lisbon?
After knowing the best typical dishes of Lisbon, we tell you where to eat cheaply in Lisbon: it will be very easy. Portugal is a very cheap country and the restaurants and bars have very affordable prices, offering a quality-price of its products unmatched in other Western European countries. If you want to eat with your group of students in the Portuguese capital, taste all its typical delicacies and enjoy the best environment, we recommend these places:
- Eurico (Alfama)
- Churrasqueira da Paz
- Pao Pao Queijo Queijo (Belém)
- Crisfama
- Floresta das Escandinhas (Rua Augusta)
- Cerqueira Restaurant
- Cervejaria Trindade (Bairro Alto)
- Santa Clara dos Cogumelos (Alfama)
- Ribeira Market
- Cantinho do Bem Estar (Bairro Alto)
Guide to organize your school trip to Lisbon
If you are thinking of organizing your school trip to Lisbon, you have come to the perfect place because in this guide is all the information you need before and during the trip: accommodation, gastronomy, transportation, possible itineraries, excursions…
Plan your school trip to Lisbon with Natuaventura, we offer you as many possibilities as you can imagine, and a team of instructors with more than 15 years of experience in school trips. Do not miss any detail!
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