100+ Portuguese Words for Food and Drink (Audio Included)
Planning a visit to a Portuguese-speaking nation? Then improving your knowledge of Portuguese food terms is a must. Conversations about food are likely to be a big part of your experience there.
Here we present over 100 essential Portuguese food words, complete with audio pronunciations. You'll also discover details about classic Portuguese and Brazilian dishes and their food traditions.
Meal Words in Portuguese
1. Café da manhã — breakfast
2. Almoço — lunch
3. Jantar — dinner
4. Sobremesa — dessert
5. Lanche — snack
Grãos — Grains
6. Pão — bread
7. Macarrão , massa — pasta
8. Arroz — rice
9. Aveia — oats
10. Farinha — flour
11. Pipoca — popcorn
Laticínio — Dairy
12. Leite — milk
13. Iogurte — yogurt
14. Manteiga — butter
15. Queijo — cheese
16. Leite condensado — condensed milk
Vegetais — Vegetables
17. Alface — lettuce
18. Pepino — cucumber
19. Tomate — tomato
20. Cenoura — carrot
21. Batata — potato
22. Cebola — onion
23. Brócolis — broccoli
24. Abóbora — pumpkin
25. Abacate — avocado
26. Alho — garlic
27. Salsinha — parsley
28. Ervilha — peas
29. Feijão — beans
Frutas — Fruits
30. Açaí — acai berry
31. Guaraná — guarana
32. Caju — cashew
33. Banana —banana
34. Maracujá — passionfruit
35. Uvas — grapes
36. Laranja — orange
37. Maçã — apple
38. Abacaxi — pineapple
39. Mamão — papaya
40. Limão — lemon
41. Pera — pear
42. Morango — strawberry
43. Melão — melon
44. Tangerina , mexerica — tangerine
Carnes — Meats
45. Frango — chicken
46. Bife — beef
47. Carne de porco — pork
48. Cachorro quente — hot dog
49. Cordeiro — lamb
50. Salsicha , linguiça — sausage
51. Peixe — fish
52. Camarão — shrimp
53. Presunto — ham
Sobremesas — Desserts
54. Bolo — cake
55. Brigadeiro — chocolate ball
56. Sorvete — ice cream
57. Torta de bolacha — cookie cake
58. Flan, torta doce — flan
59. Pudim — rice pudding
60. Chocolate — chocolate
61. Biscoito — cookie
Lanches — Snacks
62. Kibe — beef croquette
63. Coxinha — chicken croquette
64. Pão de queijo — cheese bread
65. Bolinho de bacalhau — cod croquette
66. Pastéis de nata — egg tart
67. Línguas de gato — biscuit
Bebidas — Drinks
68. Água — water
69. Refrigerante — soda
70. Cerveja — beer
71. Vinho — wine
72. Tereré — cold mate
73. Mate , chimarrão — hot mate
Phrases for the Grocery Store
One está o/a _____? — Where can I find the _____?
Quanta é _____? — How much does ______ cost?
Tem _____? — Do you have _____?
Phrases for the Restaurant
Quero _____. — I would like _____?
Tem um menu de sobremesa? — Can I see the dessert menu?
A conta, por favor. — Check, please!
Popular Food in Portuguese
Should your travels take you to Brazil (or an authentic Brazilian restaurant), there are certain dishes you simply must try.
Feijoada
This is a traditional Brazilian dish where beans are cooked with various pork cuts, creating a rich and deep flavor. It is typically served with rice and a side salad.
Galinhada
This dish is precisely what its name implies, yet its taste is truly spectacular.
Chicken is cooked together with rice, onion, and garlic. The finished meal is often accompanied by vinagrete (a mix of chopped tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers dressed with olive oil and salt).
Moqueca
This is a stew with a tomato base, prepared with fish, onion, garlic, and coriander. It can also include other types of seafood like prawns, swordfish, and other boneless fish.
Pamonha
This dish is often considered the Brazilian equivalent of Mexican tamales.
It consists of a sweet corn paste that is boiled inside corn husks. It can be served with coconut milk or savory fillings such as cheese, sausage, or peppers.
Farofa
This is more of a topping that you mix into your rice and beans, and it is incredibly tasty.
It is made from toasted cassava flour blended with spices and occasionally includes bits of meat.
Pizza
This isn't your standard pizza. It's far superior.
Brazilian pizza typically doesn't use a tomato sauce base and is available in a wide array of unique flavors.
(A popular choice is pizza topped with bacon, heart of palm, corn, and requeijão—a creamy, spreadable cheese that might be hard to find elsewhere.)
Xis
This is essentially an elevated hamburger, as it's larger and comes with a greater variety of toppings than the usual ones.
It's served with a tasty sauce, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, peas, and a fried egg.
Now, let's explore some classic dishes from Portugal.
Bacalhau
This is Portugal's most famous dish, made from dried and salted cod.
It's said there are over a thousand different ways to prepare it. The Portuguese certainly have a great love for their bacalhau.
Trying it is essential, and fortunately, it's very easy to find.
Caldo verde
This is a traditional Portuguese soup prepared with potatoes, collard greens, olive oil, and salt. While simple, it can be enhanced with additions like garlic, onion, or ham hock.
Polvo a lagareiro
This is a flavorful octopus dish, served with potatoes and olive oil infused with herbs. Sometimes it even includes bacalhau!
Cozido a Portuguesa
This is another stew, made with a variety of vegetables, meats, and smoked sausages. It is regarded as an important part of Portuguese culinary heritage.
Portuguese Food Culture
In areas with a significant Brazilian community, you might have come across a Brazilian steakhouse, known in Portuguese as a churrascaria.
A churrascaria offers a different experience from a typical steakhouse, where you receive a single cut of meat with sides.
Here, you are given a small block, red on one side and green on the other. Your server will explain that green means "Please continue bringing meat," red means "Stop," and placing it on its side indicates "I'm ready for dessert!"
While your block shows green, servers will bring various kinds of meat on large skewers. If you want some, the server will slice off a piece (or more if you ask), and you can eat as much as you like. There is also a buffet area with salads and other delicious side dishes.
A visit to a churrascaria in Brazil is highly recommended, and the full experience is best enjoyed by interacting in Portuguese! Just ensure they offer the rodízio de carne (all-you-can-eat meat service).
If you're heading to Portugal, particularly during the holiday season, you are certain to encounter bacalhau (cured codfish). The Portuguese adore this fish and have countless ways to prepare it, so you'll often find several bacalhau dishes on the Christmas table.
For dessert, your host will probably serve bolo rei (King’s cake), which is similar to a fruitcake. It has a ring shape, made from a soft, white dough and filled with raisins, nuts, and candied fruit. The top is decorated with additional candied fruit and nuts, along with a sugary glaze.
If you enjoy it, you're in luck, as it is commonly served until January 6th, known as Dia de Reis (Day of Kings).
Now that you know about the delicious foods awaiting you in Brazil and Portugal, you can see why learning this vocabulary is so valuable.
Without these words, you might only be able to smile and nod when a waiter speaks to you. But with the vocabulary from this post, you can confidently ask for a delicious picanhã (filet steak) or anything else you crave.
Congratulations! You are now prepared to talk about Portuguese and Brazilian cuisine!
Has this post given you an appetite for a traditional dish or two? Go out and enjoy some, using your new Portuguese food vocabulary!
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