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Food in Portugal is serious business. So much that a few years ago a contest was created to pick the 7 Wonders of the Portuguese Gastronomy. We do take our cuisine seriously and fight tooth and nail to prove it is the best in the world. For the portuguese, sitting for a meal with friends and family is a ritual, and involves at least 3 or 4 courses, many many glasses of good wine and hours of conversation. That said, today we bring you a list of the 5 must-eat non-touristy foods when visiting our country or -if you are lucky enough- have a lovely granny prepping for the sunday roast.

Experience the ultimate foodie challenge with Oasis Backpackers Lisbon’s Food Walking Tour! Try a bifana and sample some Portuguese specialties, and prepare for the challange.

1. Caracóis ( yes, snails!)

This is a delicacy most portuguese people love and one of those everyone is disgusted to try when they come here. There is no bigger excitement when in mid-June the ‘Há caracóis’ signs start popping on restaurant windows of traditional tascas. These little fellas are cooked in an amazing broth made up of oregano, laurel, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and piri-piri (the portuguese chilli pepper) and this sauce is best enjoyed with a slice of bread in it when you finish eating all the snails. If you really want to go local you have to eat them by hand and just suck those little guys right out of their shells (they do give you toothpicks if you’re not one of the brave.) The drink to go with them? A glass of ice cold beer! Trust us, if you manage to get past the image of what you’re eating, you will love this dish and join the ranks of the thousands of portuguese who wait all winter for the snails to come out of their hiding place.

2. Baba de Camelo (Camels Drool)

This sounds so appetizing doesn’t it? Despite the name, this dish has nothing to do with the Sahara Desert. It is in fact a very typical portuguese dessert made of nothing more than sweet condensed milk, eggs and almonds. The texture is very similar to a mousse and the taste is very sweet but delicious. Trying this dessert is for the brave but if you do, you’ll want to marry it and take it home with you. That’s how amazing it is.

3. Pipis

We, portuguese, hate wasting food (did I already say we take food very seriously?) and this dish was born from that. Pipis is nothing more than the lesser parts of the chicken (yes, those ones that you would throw away before thinking twice) – feet, heart, gizzards and liver. Now, we know this sounds disgusting but just imagine very tasty chicken bits cooked in an amazing sauce made of onion, garlic, tomato, red bell pepper, spices and herbs, thickened throughout the slow cooking process. This, like the snails, is best eaten accompanied by some bread to soak up the sauce and a few beers.

4. Arroz de Cabidela

As everyone knows vampires come from Transylvania but, did you know the portuguese people have a little vampire syndrome going on as well? I can see you making a doubtful face and wondering if i’ve smoked something funny but let me explain. We do love some blood in our food. In fact, there is a full list of dishes where that is one of the main ingredients. Arroz de Cabidela is one of them and is nothing but a chicken and blood rice infused with loads of vinegar to disguise the flavor of the blood. Granted, this dish is not for everyone and not all portuguese people love it but if you’re courageous give it a try. You might love it and never want to eat anything else.

5. Polvo (Octopus)

Octopus is one of those sea animals that look like they would be the main character in a horror sci-fi movie, yet, the portuguese have at least 100 ways of cooking it. Yes, those legs look like they could strangle you in your sleep but they are also perfect cooked in the oven with lots of garlic, olive oil and coriander, simply boiled and added to a fresh and vibrant salad or even used to make a pink, tasty and soulful rice. If you ever come to Portugal this is one of those things you really can’t miss. We promise you will be hooked from the first bite.

Curious about all of these? Well, put your brave jacket on and come to Lisbon and experience our Food Walking Tour. Here you’ll eat the best food, drink the best wine and leave weighing 30 more kilos.