Table of Contents

Porto Northern Portuguese cuisine

Francesinha

A monumental sandwich made with layers of cured meats, steak, ham, and sausage, topped with cheese, then drowned in a spicy beer-tomato sauce and served with fries. It’s Porto’s wild love letter to gluttony. 1)

Tripas à Moda do Porto (Tripe Porto Style)

A slow-cooked stew of cow’s tripe, white beans, pork, chouriço, and carrots — deeply tied to the city’s identity. Porto’s people are called tripeiros because of this proud dish. 2)

Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá

Invented in Porto, this dish layers salt cod with potatoes, onions, boiled egg, and olives, baked until golden. Elegant yet rustic — named after its 19th-century creator. 3)

Caldo Verde

Portugal’s most famous soup — shredded collard greens, potatoes, and garlic, with a slice of smoked sausage — born in the North and beloved nationwide. 4)

Rojões à Minhota

Marinated pork chunks fried until crisp, often served with blood rice, liver, and boiled chestnuts. A Minho-region (Northern) specialty steeped in tradition. 5)

Sarrabulho

A festive, bold dish: rice or soup cooked with pork blood, cumin, and various cuts of pork, served during pig-slaughtering season. Earthy, intense, and very regional. 6)

Arroz de Cabidela de Galo

Rooster meat rice enriched with its own blood and vinegar, cooked slowly for deep flavor. Ancient and still honored in the Minho countryside. 7)

Bolinhos de Bacalhau (Codfish Balls)

These are crispy cod and potato fritters with herbs, crunchy outside, soft inside. Eaten warm or cold, and always with pride. 8)

Lampreia à Bordalesa

A medieval dish using lamprey eel, stewed in its own blood with red wine, onions, and spices, usually served with rice. Odd but revered in riverside towns in winter. 9)

Broa de Milho

Cornbread from Northern Portugal, dense and slightly sour, often eaten with soups or grilled sardines. Stone-ground cornmeal gives it an old-world texture. 10)

Toucinho do Céu (Heaven’s Bacon)

A divine almond and egg yolk cake from convents in the North. Its name refers to the richness of lard (toucinho) once used — now often substituted with butter or ground nuts. 11)

Bacalhau com Broa

Salt cod baked with a crust of garlicky cornbread crumbs, olive oil, and onions — crunchy, rich, and layered with texture. A Northern favorite for Christmas Eve. 12)

Posta à Mirandesa

A thick, chargrilled beef steak from Miranda do Douro, usually served rare and simply seasoned — a showcase of the region’s top-quality meat. 13)

Arroz de Pato à Moda de Braga

Duck rice baked in the oven, with shredded duck meat, chouriço slices, and aromatic rice — crisped on top, tender below. Originating in Braga, rich and celebratory. 14)

Folar da Páscoa (Easter Folar with Meat)

A savory yeast bread stuffed with cured meats like presunto, linguiça, and chouriço, traditionally made for Easter — less sweet than other regions' folar, and heartier. 15)