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Portugal: eating and drinking

Portugal: eating and drinking: a chapter of the Trip to Portugal Book, with the words, places and habits that make a first trip easier.

11 cards · Languages

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Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the deck a few at a time.

Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 23 Oct 2026

Sources: Visit Portugal (official tourism site), Portugal (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Preview

  • Custard tart in flaky pastry

    Show answer: Custard tart in flaky pastry

    Pastel de nata

    Learn more: The recipe came from monks at the Jerónimos Monastery, who sold the tarts to survive.

  • A small espresso, as Lisbon calls it

    Show answer: A small espresso, as Lisbon calls it

    Bica

    Learn more: Ordering um café anywhere gets you the same small strong coffee.

  • Milky coffee served in a tall glass

    Show answer: Milky coffee served in a tall glass

    Galão

    Learn more: About a quarter coffee, three quarters foamed milk.

  • Salted dried cod, cooked many ways

    Show answer: Salted dried cod, cooked many ways

    Bacalhau

    Learn more: Portugal eats more cod than almost any country, though none is caught in its waters.

  • Porto's sandwich under melted cheese and sauce

    Show answer: Porto's sandwich under melted cheese and sauce

    Francesinha

    Learn more: A Porto chef adapted the croque-monsieur in the 1950s.

About this topic

Food is a reason to visit Portugal on its own: grilled fish, salt cod cooked a thousand ways, custard tarts and strong little coffees. Lunch is the main meal, and the dish of the day is often the best value in town.

This is a chapter of the Trip to Portugal Book. Some cards let you hear the Portuguese, some show a place glowing on the map, and some put you in a real situation, at a café or a station. Each comes with a hint before you answer and a short reason after. Once you know most of this chapter, the next one starts arriving in your Daily Zap.

All 11 cards

  1. Custard tart in flaky pastry

    Pastel de nata

    Learn more: The recipe came from monks at the Jerónimos Monastery, who sold the tarts to survive.

  2. A small espresso, as Lisbon calls it

    Bica

    Learn more: Ordering um café anywhere gets you the same small strong coffee.

  3. Milky coffee served in a tall glass

    Galão

    Learn more: About a quarter coffee, three quarters foamed milk.

  4. Salted dried cod, cooked many ways

    Bacalhau

    Learn more: Portugal eats more cod than almost any country, though none is caught in its waters.

  5. Porto's sandwich under melted cheese and sauce

    Francesinha

    Learn more: A Porto chef adapted the croque-monsieur in the 1950s.

  6. Fish grilled at Lisbon's June festivals

    Sardinhas

    Learn more: In June the city smells of grilled fish for the Santo António festival.

  7. Sweet fortified wine from the Douro

    Port wine

    Learn more: The brandy stops fermentation and leaves the wine sweet and strong.

  8. Young, light wine from the green north

    Vinho verde

    Learn more: Green means young: it is drunk within a year and can be white, red or rosé.

  9. You want to pay at the café. You say:

    A conta, por favor

    Learn more: Tipping isn't required; rounding up or leaving a coin is kind.

  10. The cheap set lunch chalked outside

    Prato do dia

    Learn more: Many places offer it with soup, a drink and coffee for a set price.

  11. Bread and olives arrive unasked: they're the

    Couvert

    Learn more: Send it back if you don't want it; it's charged only if you eat it.

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