European Portuguese Food Vocabulary — 100 Words with Translations — European Portuguese Guide

Building your European Portuguese food vocabulary with translation is one of the most practical and enjoyable things you can do as a beginner. Food is central to Portuguese culture — mealtimes are social events, markets are weekly rituals, and regional dishes are a source of genuine pride. Learning food vocabulary gives you an immediate foothold in daily conversation, shopping, restaurant visits, and reading menus. This guide covers over 100 essential words organised by category, restaurant phrases, regional specialities, and a note on food-related false friends.

Fruits (Fruta)

Portuguese	English	Notes
maçã	apple	Very common; plural: maçãs
pera	pear
laranja	orange	Also the colour orange
limão	lemon
uva	grape	Portugal is a major wine producer
morango	strawberry
banana	banana	Same in English and Portuguese
pêssego	peach
melão	melon
melancia	watermelon	Popular in summer
figo	fig	Very common in Algarve
amora	blackberry / mulberry

Vegetables (Legumes e Vegetais)

Portuguese	English	Notes
batata	potato	batata frita = chips/fries
cebola	onion
alho	garlic	Essential in Portuguese cooking
tomate	tomato	Near-cognate
cenoura	carrot
alface	lettuce
couve	cabbage / kale	Base of caldo verde
espinafres	spinach	Always plural in EP
feijão	bean	feijão verde = green bean
grão	chickpea	Used in cozido and salads
pimento	pepper (capsicum)	Not pimenta (= black pepper spice)
courgette	courgette / zucchini	Same word as French/British English
cogumelo	mushroom

Meat, Fish and Seafood (Carne, Peixe e Marisco)

Portuguese	English	Notes
carne de vaca	beef	Literally "cow meat"
frango	chicken	frango assado = roast chicken
porco	pork / pig	Also adjective meaning dirty/filthy
borrego	lamb	Common in Alentejo region
bacalhau	salt cod	The national dish; said to have 365 recipes
sardinha	sardine	Iconic, grilled at June festas
polvo	octopus	Popular in salads; false friend — NOT "pulp"
lula	squid	lulas grelhadas = grilled squid
camarão	prawn / shrimp
mexilhão	mussel
amêijoa	clam	amêijoas à Bulhão Pato = classic PT dish
pescada	hake	Very common in Portuguese cuisine
atum	tuna	Common in salads and sandwiches

Bread, Dairy and Pantry (Pão, Laticínios e Despensa)

Portuguese	English	Notes
pão	bread	pão de forma = sliced bread; false friend: NOT "pan"
manteiga	butter
queijo	cheese	Portugal has excellent regional cheeses
leite	milk
iogurte	yoghurt	Near-cognate
ovos	eggs	ovo = one egg; ovos mexidos = scrambled eggs
azeite	olive oil	Portugal is among the world's top producers
vinagre	vinegar	Near-cognate
sal	salt	Portugal produces flor de sal (sea salt)
açúcar	sugar
farinha	flour
arroz	rice	Served with almost every meal
massa	pasta	pasta in PT means briefcase/folder!

Drinks (Bebidas)

Portuguese	English	Notes
água	water
sumo	juice	Brazilian Portuguese (PT-BR): suco
vinho	wine	vinho tinto / branco / rosé
cerveja	beer	uma imperial = a small draught beer (Lisbon)
café	coffee / espresso	Ordering um café gets you a small espresso
chá	tea	chá com leite = tea with milk
água com gás	sparkling water	água sem gás = still water
limonada	lemonade	In PT, often freshly squeezed with sugar

Restaurant Phrases

These ten phrases will cover the essential situations in any Portuguese restaurant or café:

"Uma mesa para dois, por favor." — A table for two, please.
"Posso ver a ementa?" — Can I see the menu?
"O que recomenda?" — What do you recommend?
"Quero pedir..." — I would like to order...
"Sem glúten, por favor." — Gluten-free, please.
"A conta, por favor." — The bill, please.
"Está incluído o serviço?" — Is service included?
"Está delicioso!" — It is delicious!
"Não como carne." — I do not eat meat.
"Uma garrafa de água, por favor." — A bottle of water, please.

Traditional Dishes by Region

Understanding regional dishes is part of understanding Portuguese culture. Each region has strong culinary traditions:

Lisbon: pastéis de nata (custard tarts), bacalhau à brás (cod with eggs and crispy potato), bifanas (pork sandwiches in sauce)
Porto: francesinha (a layered meat sandwich covered in a rich tomato-beer sauce), tripas à moda do Porto (tripe stew — hence Porto residents are called tripeiros), vinho verde (young wine)
Alentejo: açorda (a thick bread soup with garlic and coriander), migas (fried bread crumbs with pork), borrego assado (roast lamb), powerful Alentejo red wines
Algarve: cataplana (a seafood and pork stew cooked in a copper clam-shaped pot), grilled fresh fish, figos (figs), carob-based sweets
Minho: caldo verde (kale soup with chouriço — the national soup), vinho verde (the region's light sparkling white wine), rojões (fried pork pieces)

False Friends in Food Vocabulary

Several food-related words are false friends worth flagging explicitly:

pão looks like "pan" but means bread. A frying pan is frigideira.
caldo looks like "cold" but means broth or soup stock. Cold is frio.
pasta looks like pasta (food) but means briefcase, folder, or toothpaste. Pasta (food) is massa.
polvo looks like "pulp" but means octopus. Pulp is polpa.
sumo is not sumo wrestling — it simply means juice.
pimento (bell pepper) vs pimenta (black pepper spice) — easily confused.

Example Sentences Using Food Vocabulary

"Quero comprar pão, queijo e tomates no mercado." — I want to buy bread, cheese and tomatoes at the market.
"O bacalhau é o prato nacional de Portugal." — Cod is the national dish of Portugal.
"Gosto de beber sumo de laranja ao pequeno-almoço." — I like drinking orange juice at breakfast.
"A francesinha é uma especialidade do Porto." — The francesinha is a speciality of Porto.
"Posso pedir uma mesa para dois e a ementa?" — Can I ask for a table for two and the menu?

Practice: A1 story — pastéis de nata — A1 comer story