For Portugal’s section of the famous things across the globe series, we decided to write it ourselves instead of asking a fellow travel blogger, “What is Portugal famous for?“. We are Portuguese, we should know this…, right?
Portugal has been in vogue in the last few years, with tourism booming in several parts of the country, and the average interest in Portugal has been increasing globally. Despite this, Portugal is still much less famous than its neighbors, Spain and France, yet it’s now far from being an obscure destination/country.
So, what do people remember when they think about Portugal? As Portuguese travelers, we often deal with this – sometimes, the answers are obvious and common, while others may be unexpected. Some people we met know very little about Portugal others know the country surprisingly well. Let’s explore the things Portugal is known for!
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18 things Portugal is known for
#1 Port wine
One of the most famous things in Portugal is Port wine. Port wine is a fortified wine produced with distilled grape spirits exclusively in the Douro Valley in northern Portugal. It is typically sweet, red, and often served as a dessert wine, though it may also be dry, semi-dry, and white.
Port wine has been produced in the Douro Valley for centuries now and even has a demarcated region. This demarcated region of Douro is considered one of the oldest in the world. However, fortified wines similar to Port are produced in many other world regions like Australia, the US, France, South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina, and Spain. If you want to try a true Port wine, make sure it comes from Portugal and the Douro Valley.
Port wine is so important for Portugal and its culture that the Alto Douro wine region was inscribed as a World Heritage site. According to UNESCO, “Wine has been produced by traditional landholders in the Alto Douro region for some 2,000 years. Since the 18th century, its main product, port wine, has been world-famous for its quality. This long tradition of viticulture has produced a cultural landscape of outstanding beauty that reflects its technological, social, and economic evolution.“
#1 Pastel de Nata – Portuguese custard tart
Pastel de Nata, which foreigners usually call Portuguese custard tart, is probably the most famous Portuguese dessert. A Pastel de nata is a Portuguese egg tart pastry dusted with cinnamon for those who haven’t tried them yet. The crust is crispy and flaky, while the center is made of creamy, eggy, sweet custard, slightly blistered on top.
The Pastel de nata (originally Pastel de Belem) was created before the 18th century by Catholic monks at the Jeronimos Monastery. However, only during the 18th century did they start selling them to the public. With time, the Pastel de Nata/Belém became famous, sold around the country, and even exported to Brazil, China, Japan, etc…
The original recipe is still a secret, and it is only sold in the pastry shop next to the Jeronimos Monastery called Fabrica dos Pasteis de Belém, where you can eat the pastel de Belem still warm and with icing sugar and cinnamon.
You should note that when the pastry comes from Fabrica dos Pasteis de Belem, it’s called a pastel de Belem, while all the others sold through the country is called pastel de Nata.
#3 Piri Piri chicken
Piri Piri chicken is a dish very associated with Portugal, although no one talks about Piri Piri chicken in Portugal, and many people don’t even know what it is… why? In Portugal, it’s called Frango de Churrasco.
So, What’s Piri Piri chicken or Frango de Churrasco? It’s grilled chicken with Piri Piri sauce. Piri Piri is a special variety of chilies that the Portuguese brought from the Americas to Africa and Europe. It’s very, very spicy.
The funny thing about Piri Piri Chicken is that it was created in Angola and Mozambique, not in Portugal. However, it was then brought to Portugal by the Portuguese, who returned from the colonies, and now it can be found in every Portuguese city.
Besides, and to make things even more interesting, it became internationally famous because of Nando’s, a very successful South African restaurant chain specializing in Piri Piri chicken. Though, the Piri Piri Chicken from Nando’s is slightly different from the Portuguese one.
#4 Bacalhao / Codfish
Portuguese love codfish! And anyone who visits Portugal usually quickly learns why and then spreads the word about how good it is and how the Portuguese love it.
It is even said that there are more than 365 cod recipes in Portugal, one for each day of the year. Cod is so ingrained in the Portuguese national psyche that it is also Christmas’s main celebratory meal.
You should note that Portugal’s cod isn’t “fresh” but dried and salted cod. Furthermore, there isn’t codfish in Portuguese waters. So, How did Portugal become obsessed with codfish? This story has 2 acts, first during the age of discoveries and then during the 20th-century dictatorship.
During the age of discoveries, salted cod was one of the main ingredients because it could be stored without refrigeration for really long periods. And those voyages were really long.
During the 20th century, Portugal was an impoverished country. Codfish remained one of Portugal’s most important proteins because it was cheap and easy to store and transport, making it the perfect option.
#5 Oranges
During the XV century, the Portuguese sailors brought sweet oranges from China and East Asia to Europe. These oranges were much better than the others and quickly became dominant in Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean. The Portuguese also used to plant orange trees along the trade routes to prevent scurvy.
Portuguese oranges became so famous that in many countries, the name of the fruit derives from the country they came from, Portugal. However, note that oranges don’t originally come from Portugal (they come from Asia), and today Portugal doesn’t really export oranges.
So in many countries (Arabic countries, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Iran, Armenia), when you think of Portugal, you may be thinking of oranges… have a look:
- Albanian – portokall;
- Bulgarian – портокал (portokal);
- Greek – πορτοκάλι (portokali);
- Macedonian – portokal;
- Persian – پرتقال (porteghal);
- Turkish – portakal;
- Romanian – portocală.
- Even in some regional languages in Italy like Neapolitan – portogallo or purtuallo
On a very related note, if you ever go to Portugal, try the Oranges from Algarve. They are some of the best in the world – sweet and juicy.
#6 Ronaldo and football in general
I wouldn’t say it is the most important, but it is probably the best-known thing about Portugal today. Whenever we travel internationally, the first thing people tell us when they learn we are Portuguese is Ronaldo! He is easily the most famous Portuguese.
Ronaldo is considered one of the best football players of all time and won incredible titles and individual prizes. He is also one of the most followed celebrities worldwide on Facebook and Twitter.
Besides Ronaldo, Portuguese football also produced many others like Figo, Rui Costa, Eusébio, João Felix, and Bernardo Silva. And let’s not forget José Mourinho, one of the world’s best managers. More importantly, Portugal is the current European Football Champion and the first winner of the UEFA Nations League.
#7 Surf destination
Portugal is widely famous among surfers as a great surfing destination because of its nice waves and climate. In fact, you can easily surf every day of the year in Portugal, with different kinds of waves spreading through the extensive Portuguese coast.
In Portugal, you can find surf spots with waves for beginners and pros, and as the country is small, all these diverse spots are relatively close to each other. There are small waves, tubes, long waves, and even giant waves. In fact, the giant waves of Nazare are world-renowned as the biggest waves in the world.
Fun fact: According to the Guinness Book of Records, the biggest wave ever surfed was surfed in Nazare in 2012 by the Hawaiian surfer Garret Mcnamara.
For all these reasons, every year, thousands of surfers, bodyboarders, windsurfers, kitesurfers, and so travel to Nazaré, Sagres, Guincho, Ericeira, Peniche, and many other destinations to enjoy its waves. In fact, Ericeira is one of the world’s surfing reserves, the first in Europe.
#8 Golf Destination
Portugal is a trendy golf destination, particularly the Algarve region, which combines the warmest weather and some of the golf courses’ best beaches.
In 2019 Portugal managed to win both the best European golf destination and the best golf destination globally at the world golf awards. In fact, since 2014, Portugal has won 5 times this prize!!
According to top100 golf, the best golf courses in Portugal are Monte Rei North, West Cliffs, Oitavos Dunes, Troia, and San Lorenzo.
#9 Age of discoveries
Anyone who studied history has studied Portugal and its role in world history, particularly during the age of discoveries. Portugal is well-known as a major colonial power and the Age of Discoveries catalyst, which completely changed the world.
Despite being a rather small country during the age of discoveries, Portugal was a superpower. It was the Portuguese who reached and crossed the cape of good hope (Bartolomeu Dias), it was the Portuguese who found the maritime route to India (Vasco da Gama), it was the Portuguese who discovered (to the Europeans) Brazil…
Moreover, Fernão Magalhães (Ferdinand Magellan), the man who organized and led (but didn’t finish) the first circumnavigation of the Earth, is also Portuguese but did it working for Spain…
Many people also believe that Columbus was also Portuguese, but there isn’t hard evidence for this claim. Finally, there are some documents and evidence that the Portuguese also discovered Australia much earlier than the English but didn’t settle there.
Fun fact: Portugal was so powerful and ambitious at that time that it signed a treaty with Spain, dividing the world in two. This was the Tordesillas treaty.
#10 Portuguese tiles, Azulejos
The azulejos are tin-glazed ceramic tile work and can be found everywhere, on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, restaurants, bars, and even railways or subway stations. They constitute a major aspect of Portuguese architecture as they are applied on walls, floors, ceilings, street signs, and even public benches.
Almost everyone who visits Portugal falls in love with the Portuguese tiles. In Portugal, they are called azulejos, which comes from the Arabic Al-zuleique. Portugal adopted them like no other European country as they have a dual purpose; they serve as an ornamental art form and have a specific functional capacity like temperature control in homes.
Azulejos are now trending with tourists and art/design lovers. You can see them all over Instagram, blogs, and even online shops. It looks like everyone wants a piece of them.
#11 Fado
What is Portugal known for? Fado is a popular answer. Fado is the most traditional and well-known Portuguese music.
It’s the kind of music that reveals the Portuguese culture or at least a side. Fado is usually characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the poor’s life, and infused with a sentiment of resignation, fatefulness, and melancholia.
Some of the most famous fado singers include Amália Rodrigues (known as the queen of Fado), Mariza, Carminho, Ana Moura, Camané, and Carlos do Carmo. Though fado is the Portuguese national music, it is mostly connected with Lisbon and Coimbra.
In 2011 Fado’s importance was recognized by UNESCO and included in its intangible cultural world heritage list.
#12 José Saramago
José Saramago is possibly the most famous Portuguese writer, or at least the one who won more national and international prizes, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998.
Saramago has been described as “the most gifted novelist alive in the world today,” and his writing has a “distinctive tone to his fiction because he narrates his novels as if he were someone both wise and ignorant.”
Some of his most famous books include The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (my favorite), blindness (the movie with the same name is an adaptation of Saramago’s novel), and the stone raft.
#13 Fátima
The Shrine at Fátima is one of the most important religious landmarks, drawing pilgrims worldwide. Thus, it’s very famous among Catholic Christians.
Fatima became a pilgrims’ destination after three little shepherds, Jacinta and her two cousins, Francisco and Lúcia, witnessed successive apparitions of Our Lady of the Rosary in 1917. Initially, it was looked at with suspicion by the Church but cherished by the people, and only in 1930 was the phenomenon not acknowledged by the Bishop of Leiria.
The Shrine became world-renowned during the papacy of John Paul II, a confessed devotee of Our Lady of Fátima. He traveled there in 1982 to give thanks for having survived an assassination attempt the year before.
#14 Sunshine and nice weather
Portugal is world-renowned as a sunny travel destination. Tourists visit Portugal every year for a few days of sun and nice weather. When many people think about Portugal, they think about sunbathing and warm weather.
Yet we must note that while the north is sunnier than many other destinations, the south stands out in this aspect! Lisbon, for example, has about 2800 hours of sunshine per year, while faro breaks the record of 3000 hours…
#15 Beautiful beaches
Do you know what goes really well with the sun and hot weather? Beautiful beaches, and Portugal has them too. Although the Portuguese coast is stunning, the south of Portugal really stands out here (particularly the Algarve)!
Some of the best Portuguese beaches include:
- Caminha – up in the north, with beautiful but ice-cold water.
- São Jacinto Aveiro – wild beach fringed by pine forest and some large dunes almost 8 km long.
- Troia – long, beautiful beach close to Setubal. Beautiful water and an amazing resort.
- Benagil – is famous for its incredible sea caves.
- Carvoeiro beach – wonderful sandy beach in Carvoeiro, the most picturesque village in the Algarve, with its colorful houses tumbling down the cliffs
- Porto Santo – Huge, long beach with warm water and golden sand in Porto Santo island, Madeira
#16 Portuguese, the Language
Surprisingly or not, Portuguese is one of the most spoken languages in the world! With more than 220 million native speakers, it’s the 6th language in the world. Brazil plays a big part in this, but you should note that Portuguese is spoken on 5 continents and is the official language of 9 different countries.
Portuguese is also one of the main languages on the internet. About 4.1% of all internet content is in Portuguese, and it’s only behind English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic.
#17 Portuguese shoes
Did you know Portuguese shoes are regarded as some of the best in the world? The quality of the Portuguese shoe industry is famous worldwide and is only surpassed by the Italian.
This is a very dynamic industry, which has undergone a rapid and intensive transformation and now exports 95% of its production.
So, if you like shoes and quality is important to you, it’s highly possible that you are wearing or have worn Portuguese shoes.
#18 Cork and Cork Products
What is Portugal known for producing? Cork! The cork industry is huge in Portugal. Portugal harvests about 310 000 tons of cork annually, approximately half of the world’s production.
Cork is easily one of the most characteristic natural products of the country, and it is part of everyday life. Cork is environment-friendly, natural, and soft, keeps the cold and the warmth when necessary, and creates a comfy ambiance.
Bottle stoppers are still the main cork product, but so many things are being produced with cork today. Fashion accessories, clothing and shoes, yoga mats, iPad covers, furniture, floor or wall coatings, and even NASA uses Portuguese cork in their shuttles.
Cork is harvested from a specific oak tree, the Quercus suber, which is the Portuguese national tree. If you want to see these trees, the best region is probably Alentejo in southern Portugal. Though, they are spread all over the country’s interior, really.
Critical note: We have been reading quite a few ill-informed opinions about cork, so it’s important to clarify that the trees don’t get cut or even damaged to harvest cork! They live for more than 300 years!
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