Your One-Stop Food and Drink Guide to Alentejo, Portugal

While there’s nothing new to homespun Portuguese dishes, the culinary world seems to be discovering the delights of Portuguese cuisine like never before. In Alentejo, particularly, hearty, countryside cuisine is a staple, responsible for creating some of Portugal’s most memorable dishes.

Here’s 10 foods and drinks you must try when in Alentejo:

Açorda

This “day-old” bread is made of mushed rustic bread with coriander, olive oil, garlic, vinegar, water, white pepper, salt and poached eggs. Some parts of Portugal put a seafood twist on it, adding shrimp or salted cod. You can even add a bit of peri-peri for a dash of heat.

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Sericaia

Originally from India or Brazil (depending on who you speak to), this sweet dish involves eggs, sugar and cinnamon, baked in the oven and served with local plums.

Cozido De Grão à Alentejana

A hearty stew, this regional take on a Portugal-wide dish features an amalgamation of boiled Portuguese sausages and chickpeas, as well as carrots, green beans and potatoes. It’s often served hot and over pieces of rustic local bread.

Adega de Cartuxa

Housed in a former Jesuit refectory with 16^th-century roots, this revered winery is a must-visit for wine lovers. Here, you’ll find Alentejan varietals like Trincadeira, Aragonês and Castelão, alongside the most iconic of them all: Pêra-Manca. Tours are available by reservation only, and you can also sample signature olive oil and other gourmet products.

Queijo de Serpa

This cheese consists of raw sheep’s milk from the Serpa district that is matured for 30 days and often brushed with paprika and olive oil. Enjoy it as a paste or cut and served with bread.

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Ensopado de Borrego

Indulge in this Alentejan-braised lamb stew, elevated with cider vinegar, bay leaves, pepper, parsley, cloves, onions, garlic and coriander. On cold winter nights, it’s best enjoyed alongside a glass of Alentejan red wine.

Carne de Porco à Alentejana

You might not think pork and clams go together, but this stew proves any doubters wrong. Made of black pork marinated in white wine, paprika, red pepper paste, chopped garlic and coriander, this is then pan-friend golden brown and mixed with clams and potatoes.

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Migas

This other version of “day-old” bread features crumbled wheat bread soaked in olive oil, garlic, other spices and flavorings. The bread is served alongside pork or lamb chops, and is most similar to American stuffing.

Poejo

This sweet liqueur is made from pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), a medicinal mint found locally and made in three variations: green, yellow and clear.

Porco Preto

Meaning “black pork,” this dish comes from the Iberian pig, a breed native to the peninsula and renowned for its distinct taste influenced by their cork tree acorn diet. You’ll find this meat presented as charcuterie, salami and even in a strew with clams known as carne de porco à Alentejana. Taberna Típica Quara Feira in Évora serves slow-cooked black pork and draws visitors and locals nightly.