Healthy Portuguese Recipes

Portugal has something for people from all walks of life and is arguably one of the best countries to fall in love with for a number of reasons, including it delectable array of food. The starters, meat recipes, soups, vegetable recipes and desserts, each type of Portuguese food sets you off on a unique tasting journey and you’ll definitely fall in love with these recipes. There is no doubt that Portuguese food features healthy ingredients.

Not only that these recipes bring you a new taste but they also feature healthy ingredients, especially the use of potatoes and green vegetables allow these recipes to help your health and act as a great source of energy. For instance, Cozido is a highly loveable recipe that contains healthy vegetables along with the meat. The meat-potato combination in Carne Guisada Com Batatas also seconds the opinion that Portuguese recipes feature healthy nutrition and energy necessary to maintain better health.

Portuguese cuisine is so well balanced that not even a single ingredient goes to waste. The transformation of one recipe into another is a prime feature in this regard. The combination of a chicken livers with the rice and Cozido is the demonstration of this fact.

Take, for instance, Bacalhau (Codfish), which is a trademark Portuguese dish. You can expect to find it prepared in scores of different ways across the country. The Portuguese claim that codfish can be prepared in more ways than the number of days in a year.

It was back in the 15th Century that Prince Henry the Navigator instructed Portuguese explorers to search for exotic plants, fruits and nuts from various lands and bring them back to Portugal. The introduction of the new fruits, plants and nuts had a huge impact on the cooking culture of the country.  Today, this cornucopia of food ingredients has become part and parcel of the Portuguese Kitchen.

It is this love for the discovery of food ingredients that began in the 15th century that has made today’s Portugal, one of the most prolific recipe generators in the world. The love for food and cooking has earned the country a special place not only in Europe but in the whole world. Portuguese explorers who went to India in the 18th century experienced food that was made using some magical spices. The sub-continent is known for its spicy recipes, and the 18th-century quest was fruitful because it introduced to Portugal the most amazing Indian food ingredients which include Cinnamon, also known as canela; the ingredient is famous for its use in rice pudding, cinnamon cake and pasteis de nata. Apart from Cinnamon, Portuguese dishes feature cravinho (Cloves); mainly featuring sauces, sweet, meats and marinades.

Before we move on to Portuguese recipes, it is important to have a look at the Portuguese kitchen and the ingredients necessary to prepare wholesome, healthy recipes.