Most people are familiar with tapas, and will probably have tried patatas bravas, croquetas, tortilla, or any of the more popular tapas at some point. Petiscos – the lesser-known Portuguese relative of tapas – are another story altogether.
There are tapas bars in just about every major city in the world, and probably in yours, but is there a petisco bar (sometimes called a petisqueira)? Probably not. Petiscos is something you’re probably going to have to come to Portugal to try.
A petisco (Pe-Tea-Sh-Co) is a snack; something to pick at while you have a beer or a glass of wine with friends. The petiscos menu varies from bar to bar. Some menus can be quite unimaginative, and a petisco might simply be pão (bread) or azeitonas (olives). Other places put more effort in, serving up dishes like salade de polvo (octopus salad) or pastéis de bacalhau (cod patties, a bit similar to croquetas). Other places, particularly in Lisbon and Porto, are going even further and creating a menu of petiscos that are unique to that bar. If you can find a good petiscos bar, it’s a good opportunity to try a few different Portuguese dishes.
Interestingly, a lot of petiscos bars have started using the word tapas on their menus. Portugal doesn’t actually do tapas, and they’re not called tapas, but tapas is just a word that everyone understands and a petisco is essentially a Portuguese tapa. If you’re visiting Portugal and just want something light to pick at, why not give petiscos a try?
What to look out for on a petiscos menu
The following is a sample of some of the items that you can expect to find on a petiscos menu in Portugal.
Pastéis/Bolinhos de Bacalhau
Croqueta or salted fritter-style nuggets that are made up of bacalhau (cod) as well as other ingredients like potato, eggs, parsley, and onion before being fried in oil. They’re a little like a fish cake, although the texture is a lot finer and the taste of the cod a lot stronger.
Pastéis de bacalhau are salgados, an umbrella term for deep fried food like pastéis de bacalhau. Other types of salgados that you’ll see include rissóis (another type of croquette, often creamier), empadas de frango (mini chicken pies), folhados (something in puff pastry, usually cheese or meat), and chamuças (samosas).
Presunto
Presunto is a type of cured Iberian ham, a little like jamón from Spain. When it comes to Presunto, all pigs aren’t equal: some are more expensive than others. Presunto ibérico, for example, comes from the black or Alentejo pig – a pig that has been fed on a rich diet of acorns.
Pica Pau
Pica Pau literally means woodpecker, and the dish gets its name because it’s usually eaten with toothpicks. It consists of small pieces of beef or pork that have been marinated in garlic, oil, chilli, and mustard. It is usually always served with pickled vegetables, such as carrots and cauliflower.
Cenouras Algarvia
Carrots that are boiled until slightly soft and then marinated in vinegar, garlic, olive oil, and herbs. Algarve carrots are often served as part of the couvert in the Algarve.
Moelas/ Moelinhas
Moelas are gizzards. They are usually sautéed in a pan with a spicy tomato sauce, and then served with bread. Sometimes you’ll also see pipis (yes, that’s fun to say!) which, as commenter Pedro Barras points out, are similar but different.
Moelas and pipis are not the same thing. Whereas moelas is only the gizzards, pipis is an assortment of small chicken bits that might include necks, livers, hearts, gizzards, wings and even legs/feet. The sauce is similar, based on tomatoes, red pepper paste, garlic, onion, bay leaf and eventually chili and the odd choice of herbs and other spices, with long cooking for the gizzards and for the sauce to refine.
Pedro Barras
Salada de polvo
Salade de polvo means octopus salad, and you’ll sometimes see some variations on this e.g. salada de polvo Algarvia. Usually octopus salad means octopus that’s marinated in olive oil and vinegar and served with fresh tomato, onion, and chopped herbs.
Chouriço Assado
Chouriço assado is cured sausage that’s cooked, or flame-grilled. This is a fun one to order because it’s usually brought out on a terracotta dish that has been soaked in alcohol and then set on fire and cooked in front of you.
This one can be pretty heavy and it’s best washed down with a good glass of Portuguese red wine, white wine, beer – anything really, but you’re going to need something as it’s very rich.
Caracóis
The French aren’t the only ones to eat snails – the Portuguese do too. Although caracóis are popular throughout Portugal, you tend to see this more on menus in the countryside rather than in the cities. In the rural Algarve, especially, you will often see signs with a picture of a happy looking snail saying “Há Caracóis” (we have snails, or literally: there are snails).
Ovas de bacalhau
Ovas de bacalhau is cod roe; the eggs of a female cod fish. Although it’s related to caviar, it’s a lot more congealed and firm and a little like a slice of meat. Ovas de bacalhau is often served as part of a salad, dressed in olive oil and garnished with herbs.
Porco na banha
Porco na banha is a simple cold Portuguese dish that’s made from cooked pieces of pork in lard. It may not be the healthiest thing on the menu (or it could be if you’re on the Atkin’s diet), but don’t let that stop you from ordering it.
Choco frito
Choco frito is fried cuttlefish, a dish that’s particularly popular in Setúbal. It’s quite rich, like the cod roe above, especially if cuttlefish ink is used as well. Basically, beer or wine is essential with this one.
Conservas
Sometimes, you’ll see an entire section of the petiscos menu labelled “conservas.” This is tinned produce, for example, tinned tuna or tinned sardines. Now, outside of Portugal, tinned food has a pretty bad, but often deserving, reputation. It’s usually seen as cheap or student-y, and a poor substitution for the real thing.
In Portugal, tinned food is taken very seriously and is often quite expensive. You won’t just find tuna soaked in brine here: you can get tinned cod, mussels, octopus, bream, and cod roe. It can be hard to change your perception of tinned food but, as it’s such a big part of Portuguese cuisine, it’s important to try it.
Alheira
Alheira is a type of Portuguese sausage that’s made from anything but pork: for example chicken, duck, or turkey, although it’s designed to look and taste like pork. During the period of Inquisition, Portuguese Jews would hang these sausages in their home and pretend to be normal, pork-loving Catholics.
Sometimes this is served as a whole sausage, but it’s also served as croqueta-style balls, with scrambled eggs, or with bacalhau.
Have you tried petiscos before? What did you think? Let us know your thoughts, reviews, and recommendations by leaving a comment below.
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