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You walk into a local supermarket and want to buy some items that are particular to the place. What’s unique to a Portuguese market? For starters-freshness. Portugal produces primarily for itself and a few European neighbors. Agriculture accounts for the highest percentage of GDP compared to the other countries in this pocket of Western Europe. What does this mean for you? Fresh and local products that are not mass-produced. Go to the supermarket in the morning and then again in the evening and notice the depleted stock of produce and baked goods over the course of the day. Stocks are replenished on a daily basis, assuring you that almost anything you buy is fresh off the farm or the factory. So go explore your local grocery store and check this list to pick up some of the local favorites while you’re in town. (None of which require cooking!)

1. Broa de milho

Cornbread, to put it simply. Dough prepared with corn flour instead of wheat flour produces a hearty but very flavorful bread that goes lovely with either honey or the doce de abóbora. Delicious for breakfast when lightly toasted.

2. Mel

Not unique to Portugal in and of itself, but the honey here seems to have a sweet sticky goodness to it that you just don’t find anywhere. Local honeycombs produce both plain honey (mel), honey with royal jelly (it’s really good for you) and special varieties with things like rosemary and that subsequently get packaged up in beautiful jars…they make for great gifts!

3. Doce de abóbora

Pumpkin jam. The Portuguese love using pumpkin in their cooking. Find it cut into big chunks in the produce isle (the pumpkin itself is too big to sell whole) or in soups and jams. The jams (they call it doce) often have a hint of cinnamon or even walnuts mixed in. These also make for the perfect souvenir.

4. Pão com choriço

Bread with sausage… but not just any bread with sausage. This greasy, sliced choriço is actually baked into the bread so that when you bite into this self-contained sandwich your taste buds find the sausage hiding on the inside. Best when you get it fresh and hot from the bakery. Perfect to pack up and include in a picnic.

5. Tremoços

You see them served as a snack at the local bar usually accompanying beer. Yellow, bean like looking things that translate in English to lupin beans. My preference is to bite off the slightly courser outer skin and relish the bean on the inside. They are packed full range of amino acids. Dating back to Roman times, these beans have stood the test of time!

6. Seasonal fruit

Loquats-nesperos (spring/summer) this delicious fruit is a perfect snack to take on a picnic. Orange on the outside with large brown seeds on the inside, slightly sweet with a hint of tanginess. Nesperos are only found in countries with a Mediterranean climate.

Come mid-summer for a few sacred weeks, figs (figos) are available in local produce shops. Green, delicate tear-drop shaped fruits are the talk of the town among locals who stock up on as much as they can, knowing in a few short weeks they will have to wait until the following year to savor some more.

7. Vinho Verde

This list wouldn’t be complete without wine! I recommend a vinho verde (literally green wine) by Casal de Garcia. It’s produced when that little grape is still young, lending to a very subtle effervescence in the wine. Light and fresh, and of course, local, you can’t leave Portugal without sipping a bit of vinho verde. Once they figure out how to export this stuff, it will be rolling off the tongues of the yuppies in London and soccer moms in Los Angeles. When bought from the grocery store this brand should only cost you a mere three euros.

I’m keeping this list short and sweet considering most of you will probably only be stopping in for a few days. These items are within reach to any traveler and still leave you with room in your wallet and tummy to sample everything the local bakeries and seafood restaurants have to entice you with!

Photo of market stall in Madeira, Portugal by Taboada Testa