A crispy-skinned, garlicky roasted piglet, slow-roasted in wood-fired ovens and basted with lard, garlic, and pepper sauce. Served with orange slices and peppered potatoes. This is the signature dish of the region. ¹⁾

A dish of goat (or sometimes lamb) stewed in red wine and garlic, slow-cooked in a clay pot for hours. Originating from villages near Coimbra, it’s festive, rustic, and earthy. ²⁾

A savory dish of crumbled cornbread fried with garlic, olive oil, and cabbage or wild greens, often paired with pork or sausages. The perfect example of “waste nothing” cuisine. ³⁾

Roast kid goat marinated with wine, garlic, and herbs, then oven-roasted with potatoes. A dish often served during Easter and festive occasions in the Serra da Estrela. ⁴⁾

From Almeirim in Ribatejo, legend says it began with a monk who tricked villagers into contributing ingredients to his soup “made from a stone.” It’s now a hearty mix of beans, chouriço, bacon, pig’s ear, and potatoes. ⁵⁾

A rare dish flavored with carqueja flowers (a wild gorse plant from the mountains), cooked with rice and meat or fish — floral, fragrant, and unique to Beira Alta. ⁶⁾

Salt cod roasted with garlic, onions, and olive oil, often served with punchy smashed potatoes — “lagareiro” refers to olive press workers and their generous use of oil. ⁷⁾

A rustic baked custard with eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon, poured into hot clay pots so the edges caramelize and crack — almost like a flan-meets-crème brûlée with a country heart. ⁸⁾

Not a dish, but a creamy, spoonable sheep’s milk cheese, coagulated with thistle flower instead of rennet. Often warmed and scooped out with bread — it’s legendary and ancient. ⁹⁾

A savory maize porridge cooked with water, garlic, and olive oil — often served with pork fat or sausages on the side. Simple, filling, and tied to rural life. ¹⁰⁾

A traditional dish of goat or pork meat, rice, mint, and chouriço stuffed into a sheep’s stomach, then boiled. Think of it as Portugal’s mountain-style cousin to haggis, but with rice and herbs. ¹¹⁾

Lamb marinated with wine and spices, slow-roasted or stewed with potatoes and herbs from the Lafões area — intensely aromatic and deeply satisfying. ¹²⁾

Literally “little fish from the garden” — green beans dipped in a light batter and fried, often eaten as a snack or side. Fun fact: this inspired Japanese tempura via Portuguese traders! ¹³⁾

A dramatic winter dish: lamprey eel cooked in its own blood, with rice, wine, and spices. Popular along rivers like the Mondego — ancient, intense, and a culinary rite of passage. ¹⁴⁾

A festive fried sweet made from yeast dough flavored with orange or lemon zest, shaped by hand, fried, and dusted with cinnamon and sugar. Traditional during Christmas and Carnival. ¹⁵⁾