The Algarve has a lot to offer, especially when it comes to food. Don’t miss these specialties. Here in the south of Portugal, it is the surrounding sea that provides the main ingredients for the culinary specialties of the Algarve. In addition to very fresh fish, fruits and vegetables are to be found; fruits and vegetables with an inimitable taste, as the sun has enriched them.
Seafood and Popular Dishes
Discovering dishes in the Algarve means starting with seafood, such as clams, oysters, and pine nuts. Grilled or pan-fried. Some culinary specialties to note, cassoulet of whelks, cornmeal with pine nuts, or seafood panade. In addition, a culinary specialty to discover in the Algarve stands out, clams with cataplana. A popular traditional dish, its success comes from cooking in a copper container. Of Arab heritage, the latter allows to preserve the flavor and the aroma of the food cooked inside. And why not add a pinch of salt from the region’s salt pans?
Without forgetting that, in addition to the restaurants, the seafood festivals taking place in summer also allow you to discover all these specialties. Here, we will think of Olhao and Faro.
The Best of Food in the Algarve
Many other dishes are to be discovered in the Algarve, such as marinated horse mackerel and other grilled sardines. The latter are eaten everywhere in the Algarve but remain a reference in Portimao. On a slice of bread or with a salad made with tomatoes and oregano, success is guaranteed. It is also possible to find tuna from Tavira, either in steak or in marinated pieces. Not to mention the octopus. In Santa Luzia, octopus is eaten in various forms. Both simmered in wine, breaded, grilled, or just baked.
