When you travel to the Algarve, luxury is the name of the game. And if it’s luxury you’re after, you’d do well to eat out in some of the top restaurants and try as much traditional Portuguese cuisine as you can. In the Algarve you will get a rich variety of delicious, exciting meals to set your taste buds on fire. The combination of pork, chicken, herbs, wild plants, garlic and onions, all subtly spiced with paprika, cinnamon, saffron and piri piri, creates a varied and delicious cuisine; and of course, you can never go far in the Algarve without encountering every variety of fresh fish under the sun. Here are a few dishes you should make it your aim to try during your trip to the Algarve.

Ameijoas na Cataplana

On your Algarve luxury holiday, if you’re after an authentic, traditional eating experience then you should start with Ameijoas na Cataplana, the most famous dish of all. The dish consists of baby clams and sausages combined with onion, presunto (cured ham), tomato, paprika, garlic and white wine. These are all cooked up in a kind of traditional copper pressure cooker called the Cataplana, which helps to preserve the flavours.

Carne de Porco a Alentejana

This is a very traditional pork dish that you should definitely try when you travel to the Algarve. Luxury cuisine in the Algarve is all about sticking to the delicious local dishes, and Carne de Porco a Alentejana is certainly that. It consists of pork marinated in white wine with herbs and spices, and then fried along with clams, potatoes and coriander to create a succulent, mouth-watering dish.
Chicken Piri-Piri

If you want to try a world-famous dish, then chicken piri-piri is a Portuguese speciality that you can find in the Algarve. Luxury travellers who like their food will find this a delight, and you can never find a better chicken piri-piri than in Portugal. Consisting of chicken marinated in a sauce of paprika, cumin, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice and, of course, piri piri, it is a fiery treat that is definitely a popular one to try.

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