In Portugal, seasonal eating isn’t just a foodie trend or wellness fad; it’s an integral part of the country’s cuisine and culinary culture. Around a third of its land is used for agriculture, producing everything from almonds and beans to peaches and persimmons. All of these ingredients are incorporated into classic dishes, many of which are traditionally tied to certain times of year.
Eating seasonally in Portugal means that your food will be not only fresher, but also more flavorful, sustainable, and authentic. We’ve created this guide to help you figure out which produce and dishes to try, according to both the time of year and the region you’re visiting.
Before we dive in, a quick note: the list of fruits, vegetables, and other locally sourced foods in Portugal is incredibly long. With that in mind, we’ll focus on a few of the most notable products associated with different seasons and regions, plus specific recipes that highlight them. Keep in mind that some of these foods are available in other seasons and parts of the country as well.
What to eat during spring in Portugal
Springtime brings a plethora of fresh fruits and veggies to the Portuguese table. There’s a wide variety of citrus fruits from the Algarve, succulent strawberries that are cultivated all over the country, and crimson cherries from the Central Region (north of the capital). This is also the season of the nêspera (loquat): a small orange fruit that grows on trees everywhere from the Algarve to courtyards in central Lisbon.
As for savory produce, spring is the peak season for favas (broad beans) and asparagus. One of the most popular ways to enjoy broad beans is in the hearty stew of favas com chouriço, which pairs them with sliced pork sausage. And if you go to either Alentejo or Trás-os-Montes in the northeast, make sure to try fresh asparagus, which is often served as a side.
Spring is also a great time to eat fresh seafood on Portugal’s coast; try mackerel, corvina, sea bass, and sea urchins if you can find them. If you’re visiting close to Easter, keep an eye out for chocolate-and candy-coated almonds. Although these nuts are harvested in the Algarve and Alentejo in late summer and fall, they’re traditionally associated with this springtime holiday.
Seasonal summer bites
Summer in Portugal is prime time for fresh produce—especially fruits from the Algarve and Alentejo. Try melão and meloa (both varieties of melon), watermelon, plums, grapes, berries, apricots, and nectarines. June to September is peach season in Cova da Beira: a section of the Central Region, close to the border with Spain, which is legendary for its stone fruits.
Summer is also the best time to try fresh figs in Portugal. These incredibly sweet and juicy fruits are especially abundant in the Algarve. Another unique product of this region that’s harvested in late summer is alfarroba (carob).
Fun fact:
- Portugal is the world’s largest producer of carob, which explains why you’ll find it in many traditional desserts and even bread.
Tomatoes and potatoes, both of which are important ingredients in many Portuguese dishes, are also widely available during the summer months. Both are often served with seafood; tomatoes might be blended into a stew like cataplana and potatoes are a common side dish for grilled fish. And if there’s one fish that represents summer in Portugal, it’s the sardine.
Grilled sardines are a quintessential summer food across the country. In Lisbon, you can find them on every street corner during the Festas de Santo António in June, usually served atop a slice of Portuguese bread or broa. Octopus is also a favorite summer dish; if you’re visiting the small coastal towns of the Algarve or Central Region, make sure to look for it on menus.
As for sweets, two treats come to mind:
- First there’s the famous três delícias do Algarve. This rich cake isn’t necessarily eaten in summer, but it features two seasonal specialties—carob and (dried) figs—plus almonds.
- Then there are the beloved bolas de Berlim: cream-filled doughnuts that you can buy from vendors on pretty much every beach in Portugal once summer starts.
Must-try fall foods
Although there’s no Portuguese equivalent to Thanksgiving, this time of year still boasts lots of seasonal specialties:
- In the Algarve, fall brings pomegranates and persimmons. If you haven’t tried the latter, this is a great place to do so. Make sure to sample both varieties of dióspiro (persimmon): one is fairly firm, sort of like an apple, while the other is super soft and sweet.
- Apples are harvested almost all year round in Portugal, but we highly suggest trying the local variety from Alcobaça (in the West Region, just a quick day trip from Nazaré). Alcobaça apples are actually a hybrid of 9 other varieties and are in season from August to November.
- Farther north, in Trás-os-Montes, the local fall specialty is the castanha portuguesa (sweet chestnut). The simplest—and arguably best—way to enjoy chestnuts is freshly roasted with nothing but salt.
- Once the weather starts to turn chilly, vendors pop up all over the streets of Lisbon and other cities selling roasted chestnuts in paper cones; you can get a dozen for just a few euros. Chestnuts are also common in many traditional recipes, either whole, chopped, or puréed.
We can’t talk about fall without mentioning wine, of course:
- The annual vindima (grape harvest) can start as early as August in the south, but it hits full stride in September and October.
- Although you can of course drink Portuguese wine year round, this is a great time to visit wine-producing regions like Alentejo and the Douro Valley to experience the harvest.
- If you’re in Lisbon, you can take the one-hour trip to Palmela (near Setúbal) for the traditional Festa das Vindimas. And while drinking wine alone may not technically qualify as eating seasonally, there’s always the option to pair your glass with a selection of Portuguese cheeses.
The best winter foods
Across most of Portugal, the winter months are chilly but not exceedingly cold. You can still enjoy plenty of fresh produce from December to February, including:
- Famous oranges from the Algarve and other citrus fruits like clementines and tangerines.
- Kiwi is also in season in the north and center of the country.
- One fruit that you absolutely have to try if you’re visiting Portugal in winter is the Pêra Rocha, a variety of pear grown in the West Region that holds a Protected Designation of Origin. Although it’s absolutely delicious on its own, you can also try it in the classic dessert of pêra bêbada (drunken pear) which involves simmering the fruit in sugar, spices, red wine, and Port wine.
- Couve is probably the type of vegetable most closely associated with winter in Portugal; it’s in season from roughly November to April. This category includes various kinds of cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and leafy greens like couve-portuguesa, which is similar to kale or collard greens. This last variety is the star ingredient of caldo verde, an iconic kale soup that also contains puréed potatoes and chouriço and is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve.
Other hearty winter recipes often include bacalhau (salt cod) which is far from local in origin but highly traditional during the holiday season. There’s also Portuguese cozido, a hearty stew with a little bit of everything—various meats, cabbage, potatoes, and more—that’s the perfect meal to warm you up on cold days. If you happen to be visiting the island of São Miguel in the Azores, try the local version; it’s cooked underground with volcanic steam.
Speaking of the Azores, Portugal’s islands also have their own specialties:
- São Miguel, the largest island in the Azores, is famous for its incredibly sweet pineapples, which are grown in greenhouses.
- Madeira, on the other hand, is known for its unusually small and sweet bananas. These fruits are produced year round in São Miguel and Madeira, respectively.
