Before I went to Portugal, someone who had been there told me they did not like the food because they got tired of fish. Now that I have been there, I am very surprised at that comment. There are lots of non-meat meals.<BR><BR>At first our complaint was that the meals were too large, inevitably with two pieces of meat. We learned to ask for a meija dose, which is a half-portion. Our second complaint is that sometimes the food was quite salty.<BR><BR>Good food that is not fish:<BR>- If you see chickens on the rotisserie and no restaurant, check it out. They may have an eating place upstairs. It will be simple, but for really cheap you can get a mieja dose of chicken (1/2 of a roasted chicken) with roasted potatoes and rice for dirt cheap.<BR>- There are some nice ham specialties in Lamego.<BR>- Almost every little lunch place sells bifanas. This is a seasoned pork cutlet on a Portugese bun. It is very tasty.<BR>- Some of these little bars also serve meat braised in beer on a bun or roasted quails.<BR>- Chorizo, a spicy sausage, is found lots of places.<BR>- In Porto, tripe. It is actually not that bad in a stew with lots of other stuff!<BR>- Portuguese hot dog: loaded with tons of toppings including corn (maize). Burgers will be different than at home, but good.<BR>- Alentejo pork with clams is a compromise.<BR>- Pastry shops sell grilled ham and cheese sandwiches called Tosta.<BR>- Great sandwiches can be found in little take-away shops.<BR>- Little pubs and pastry shops have tarts that look like pastries but are filled with chicken or with ham and cheese. Excellent for a late afternoon snack.<BR>- Omelettes are a good thing to eat when you get tired of local cuisine.<BR><BR>As far as fish goes, we loved the fresh grilled fish you could get near the ocean. drizzled with lemon and olive oil, served with rice and vegetables... yummmm! We tried sea bass, snapper, and sardines. We tried bacalau and found that in some places it is wonderful and some places it is unbearably salty. If it is made with potatoes, that can cut down the salt. We did not like a couple of local specialties, including a rice and shrimp dish that was like a bad risotto or a congee.<BR><BR>Note that the olives, cheese, and bread served at the beginning of the meal are not free. If you don't want them, turn them away. We usually ate them and paid for them, about $1-3CDN. Some of the cheeses were very nice.

Great post. What specific destinations did this trip include?<BR><BR>Would really like to hear more about Prtugal.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR><BR>

For more about dining/food in Lisbon, Portugal, see a very recent New York Times article in either the Travel or Dining section - it all sounds really good. I was in Lisbon years ago, remember only that people in coffee shops would drop bits of food and napkins on the floor... found this a strange habit, but the food itself was excellent.

Hello Carol. Do you mind if I cut\paste your post, and add it to my site ? It's a great post, not to be missed by future travellers.<BR>Thank you

Carol <BR>Great information. I am also surprised with the comment about being tired of fish. Maybe they had a hotel with full board?

Thanks so much for clearing up a major mystery for me. We were in Portugal in 1997. One Sunday as we drove up the coast we saw chicken being grilled everywhere, in driveways on great grill baskets the size of doors. The smell was overwhelming. We were determined to have some of that terrific smelling stuff when we stopped for lunch in Aviero. Asked for frango at every restaurant we stopped at only to be told, "no, no frango." Finally gave up and went to a Chinese restaurant and had a typical Chinese dish with chicken in it--a poor substitute for the great smelling stuff we'd seen on scores of grills along our drive. Now, thanks to this post, I find out we should have just gotten out of our car and headed to their upstairs eating rooms. Who knew? End of a 5 year old mystery. Thanks.

Rex, you might recall you gave me advice on the trip. I have to say your advice was a bit ambitious, but helpful nonetheless. We went to Cascais for 5 days to tour the Estoril Coast, Lisbon, Belem, Sintra, etc. Then we drove to Andalucia via Beja, stops in Sevilla, Tarifa, Gibraltar, Ronda, Granada, Cordoba, Zafra. On through the marble villages to Covilha, Sortelha, Marialva, and Lamego, then to Porto and home.<BR><BR>tourist-in-portugal, be my guest.<BR><BR>Julie, we happened on the frango by accident. This was in Lamego. We were looking at them drooling but from the street it looked like take-away only. Then a man told us in Portugese that the restaurant was upstairs. Sure enough. Communal tables with chipping plaster walls, but full of Portugese after church. TV telling of the new country of East Timor. 7 Euros including tip for a full roast chicken, twice as many potatoes as we could eat, rice, lettuce, and a half liter of house wine.

Wow... I don't remember giving advice - - more liking asking a question, to wit:<BR><BR>Author: Rex ([email protected])<BR>Date: 04/09/2002, 09:19 am<BR><BR>Message: I don't know the part from ronda onward but it looks good to me- - however, surely it's a long way from Jerez all the way up to Porto. Why not stick this in between Lisbon and heading into Spain? Or do I need to look at a map?<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR><BR>======================== ============<BR><BR>I was thinking that I was trying to persuade you to set a less ambitious driving plan.<BR><BR>Or did I post something besides this?<BR>

topping<BR>

We live in Toronto and there's a fairly large Portuguese population. We've often picked up a grilled chicken and it's wonderful. Today we drove through a Portuguese neighbourhood and I was reminded how wonderful that grilled chicken is! I would love to visit Portugal someday.

Rex, I am sorry. I got your advice mixed up with Bob the Navigator's.<BR><BR>Susan, I get a roast chicken and roast potatoes about monthly from Chave d'Ouro here in Winnipeg. They are the same as in Portugal.<BR><BR>I forgot to mention, that one stop on our trip was a day-trip to Barcelos for the market. It was amazing and fun! It is on Thursdays and if your itinerary suits it, go there. In fact, we would recommend staying there. It is a beautiful little town. If I remember correctly the train trip from Porto was just over an hour.

Topping for Ethel

Carol, I am not Rex--I am taller !<BR>Loved your food analysis, but you forgot the kale soup--that is an inside joke from our trip with another couple in 1997.