1, breakfast
Breakfast in Portuguese families is usually at 7 o'clock or 8 o'clock, and the content of breakfast is also very rich, including fresh bread with butter, ham for energy supplement and nutritious cheese. Or jam with coffee, milk, tea, or a cup of hot chocolate with rich flavor, or cereal with milk, yogurt or fruit.
There is also a kind of ham and cheese toast for breakfast in Portugal, which is covered with a layer of beef, a layer of chicken, a layer of pork, a layer of ham and even more other meat, then tightly wrapped with thick cheese slices, baked in the oven, and finally put a fresh fried egg. Portuguese also love dessert as breakfast, and most of the staple foods for breakfast will be cakes and sweets, such as croissants, cupcakes, egg tarts, doughnuts and so on.
Most Portuguese families also like ham for breakfast. The most common bread is crispy bread, topped with garlic, sprinkled with freshly crushed tomatoes, olive oil and a little salty salt, plus two pieces of Portuguese black pig ham, which is delicious.
The famous hams in Europe are all made of free-range black pork, and Portuguese hams are no exception. First of all, smoked ham is given a strong smoky flavor, which makes Portuguese ham completely different from pure air-dried ham in Spain and Italy. Cut a ripe ham, the meat on the inside of the leg is scarlet and firm, the middle is tender and moist, and the outside is plump. Red lean meat is sliced, smoked, dried, fragrant and salty.
2. Lunch
In Portugal, lunch time is 1-2 o'clock, and lunch consists of rice, potatoes, bread, meat, seafood and fish. Portugal is near the sea and is rich in seafood. Eating the most is all kinds of seafood, and there are hundreds of kinds of cod. In the inland areas of Portugal, there are all kinds of pork sausages with meat as the staple food and pigs as the protagonist, the most famous of which is black pork air-dried sausage. A major feature of Portuguese cuisine is to make your own appetizers and main courses with top fresh cod, swimming shrimp, crabs and various shellfish.
Portuguese sailors and fishermen who sailed on the sea for a long time in the early days were more accustomed to preserving food by pickling, and pickled cod was the leader of "salty and fresh" dishes Smoked wax products are also a favorite taste of Portuguese people, and Portuguese-style cigarette legs are a typical example. Portuguese dishes also use natural raw materials, such as olive oil, wine, garlic, tomatoes, sea salt and so on. And try to present the most natural and authentic taste of ingredients with simple and restrained cooking techniques, which is vividly reflected in "seafood" dishes.
Many Portuguese families like paella for lunch. The seafood soup made by slow fire for the first 24 hours of lobster is made from a variety of healthy seafood ingredients such as vegetables, meat and shrimp shells. It tastes delicious and delicious. Traditional Spanish rice is full of grains and tastes good. Then add the saffron with nourishing blood and calming nerves and beauty beauty, which is full of fragrance and attractive in color.
Portuguese people love to drink at lunch, and the way of drinking is very particular. According to the Portuguese tradition, they should drink a bottle of wine before meals, drink digestive wine after meals, and match the wine with Lai cuisine when eating. Drink red wine when eating meat, white wine when eating fish, rose wine when eating cold dishes, and sparkling wine when eating snacks. This traditional and strict wine preparation method has been passed down to this day and has become a etiquette and habit of the people all over the country in business banquets, social occasions and family banquets.
There is a famous saying in Portugal: wine is the son of the earth and the sun, inspiring spirit and enlightening wisdom. Portugal is rich in fine wine and is famous for its mellow taste. Portuguese national wine is a perfect match with Portuguese food. When you arrive in Portugal, you have to drink when you eat. If you don't drink for a reason, they will think you look down on them. In Portugal, people say that wine is cheaper than water and its alcohol content is not high. So you will never get drunk if you drink a little wine while eating. Of course, in Portugal, which is famous for its wine production in the world, this is a good wine with good reputation and worth tasting.
3. main meal
Dinner in Portuguese families is usually after 7 o'clock, mainly fish and pork. Charcoal-grilled cod with potatoes and stir-fried vegetables is what they often eat. The Portuguese are the nation that loves cod the most in the world. In Portugal, there are 365 cooking methods for pickled cod alone. This time, the chef used fresh and simple cooking techniques to present the original flavor of pickled cod as much as possible. Cod is soaked in clear water for 48 hours to remove excess salt, and then roasted with charcoal fire, with small potatoes and vegetables to adjust the balance of taste. Finally, pour hot olive oil to hook up the aroma of meat, and the meat is smooth and salty.
There are many kinds of fish for dinner. The fat sardines are roasted fragrant, which complements the crispy corn bread, and the colored peppers supplement the necessary moisture on the taste and the fiber texture of vegetables. Pour hot olive oil to make the fish wetter. Fresh squid larvae come into the kitchen with the smell of seawater. Delicate white kidney beans and crisp and juicy tomatoes are seasoned with a little red wine vinegar. Several ingredients form a subtle taste contrast with different tastes, and the refreshing and fragrant tastes are simply matched together, revealing a natural taste.
Roast suckling pig is a big meal in Portugal, which is different from Chinese roast suckling pig. First, marinate with sauce made of olive oil, wine, black pepper, thyme, garlic and other ingredients. When baking, coat olive oil on the skin to make the meat tender and the skin fragrant and tender. When serving, it is boldly cut into large pieces, served with crispy potato chips and juicy tangerines, which makes the taste more layered and layered. The fragrant fresh pepper sauce pushes the taste enjoyment to the peak.
According to Portuguese eating habits, you should try to drink wine when eating. Portuguese people have an indissoluble bond with wine, which is an essential drink for every family. Men, women and children love to drink before and after meals, and they also like to entertain guests with wine. A man is a man when he drinks. It is said that there are 360,000 hotels in this small country, which is only half the area of Henan Province. The most famous wine is Bordeaux.
Portuguese Dundun loves meat and drinks. Why do few people get cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases?
Diet is more than just eating and drinking. Especially when we talk about the specific eating habits of a country, it is always inseparable from talking about the relationship between diet and its culture. Many anthropologists agree that Portugal's contemporary food culture should be included in the Mediterranean diet. Mediterranean diet is a kind of diet advocated by modern nutritionists, which originated from the traditional diet mode of countries around the Mediterranean.
In fact, Portugal is not a Mediterranean country, and Portugal with a long Atlantic coastline is not a Mediterranean climate. So why does Portugal belong to the Mediterranean diet? It turns out that the Mediterranean diet is distinguished by cultural affiliation. For thousands of years, Portugal has had close cultural and economic exchanges with Spain, Italy, Greece and other countries, so Portugal gradually adapted to the habit of Mediterranean diet.
Characteristics of Mediterranean diet
1, love to eat tomatoes
The ingredients of the diet in different regions of Portugal are slightly different, but there is one vegetable that will not be lacking on the menu, that is, tomatoes. Tomatoes can inhibit the oxidation of cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Many dishes in Portugal contain tomatoes. For example, Portuguese salad is made of lettuce, tomatoes, onions and other ingredients, and many tomatoes are also used in the famous Portuguese paella.
2, love to eat coarse grains
In typical Portuguese recipes, bread is usually just an appetizer and the first course, and it is not eaten as a staple food, so in fact, pasta is not terrible in Portuguese diet. People can eat pasta according to the traditional Portuguese diet, which can not only ensure that the body gets enough fuel, but also not get fat. In addition, the Portuguese are also used to eating milk mixed with cereal for breakfast.
Use olive oil
Olive oil is the core of Portuguese and Mediterranean diets. Portuguese people have the habit of soaking olives, using olive oil as cooking oil to cook, bake food and mix salads and vegetables. Raw olive oil is slightly spicy and rich in unsaturated fatty acids. This is a very healthy oil, which helps to lower cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is easily deposited in arterial blood vessels, causing arteriosclerosis and obstruction. Another advantage of olive oil is that it can dilute blood and help prevent the formation of tiny blood clots, thus preventing the occurrence of heart diseases such as myocardial infarction.
4. Love to eat fish
Tuna, herring, sardines, salmon and cod are rich in linoleic acid (ω-3 fatty acids) which is beneficial to the heart. Helps to reduce blood viscosity and blood pressure, maintain normal heart rhythm, and improve beneficial high-density lipoprotein levels. Scientific research has found that if the human body ingests more omega-3 fatty acids, the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases can be greatly reduced.
5. Like to drink wine
The medical profession recognizes that red wine is good for the heart. Scientific research has found that red wine can prolong life. It is entirely because red wine contains a compound called resveratrol. It can be used as an antioxidant, has anticancer and anti-aging effects, and can prevent cardiovascular diseases. But drink red wine in moderation.