- There’s no cream in Pastel de Nata
Despite the famous pastry’s literal translation of ‘cream cake’, cream is not actually an ingredient! Only milk, sugar, eggs, and spices go into the custard. The true recipe of the Pastel de Belém, the original Patel de Nata, is one of the world’s best kept secrets as it reportedly only known by 5 people in the world.
2. Japanese tempura is actually a Portuguese invention
Although tempura is one of Japan’s most well-known dishes and a true staple of the nation’s cuisine, the battered deep-fried vegetables and seafood actually originated from Portugal. Portuguese traders and missionaries living in Nagasaki introduced tempura and led to its spread across Japan throughout the 16th century.
3. There’s a whole month dedicated to sardines!
In Lisbon and across Portugal, sardines are widely loved and eaten. So much so, that the month of June is dedicated to sardine related festivities. Festo da Santo Antonio is the festival for Saint Anthony, Lisbon’s patron saint and sardines are the stars of the celebrations. The smoky scent of grilled sardines fills Lisbon’s air and you can find fresh sardines with every step you take in the city.
4. The Bifana sandwich is not only celebrated in Portugal…
The traditional Portuguese ‘desert’, the Bifana sandwich, can be found in most food stalls across Lisbon or at most restaurants as the go-to dish to finish off your meal. Bifana is simply thin slices of pork marinated in white wine and a lot of garlic, then fried, and slapped into a bun. Instant happiness for your tastebuds!
Yet Bifana is actually also very popular halfway around the world and is widely eaten in Macau, China, another former Portuguese colony.
5. The Portuguese are the largest consumers of rice in the whole of Europe.
Although Portugal is well known for its seafood, the Portuguese are also massive rice lovers. As a matter of fact, the average Portuguese person easts around 15 kilos of rice per year, which is significantly higher than the European average of 5 kilos per person.
6. The original piri piri chicken?
The super famous piri piri pepper comes from Portugal’s former colonies in Africa, including Mozambique and Angola. Piri piri was originally produced by Portuguese exploreres in Mozambique, from the malagueta pepper and then later spread to other Portuguese territories. As a result, yummy and spicy chicken piri piri dishes can be found in Lisbon up until today.
7. The infinitely reserved table
Opened in 1782, Cafe Martinho Da Arcada is reportedly Lisbon’s oldest restaurant and was the favourite meeting place of many public figures. One of the most frequent visitors was the writer Fernando Pessoa. His favourite table has been left permanently reserved until today, with books and a coffee cup still left on his table overlooking his portrait.
8. One Portugese city made the world’s largest omelet
On 11 August 2012, a group of locals in the Portuguese city of Santerém were a little hungry and decided to make the world’s largest omelet. It took a team of 55 people 6 hours to make this omelette. It was truly enormous with a total weight of 6,466 kgs and a diameter of 10.3 metres.The omelet needed a whopping 145,000 eggs, 400kgs of oil and 100kgs of butter!
These foodie facts are brought to you by eStart4. If they have ignited a craving in you for some local Portuguese food, sign up to eStart4 now to be one of the first to make an order and satisfy your tastebuds.
