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These Portuguese cookbooks bring to life the flavors and recipes of one of the most overlooked European culinary centers.
The cuisine of Portugal is a vibrant cuisine with bold flavors. The Portuguese have influenced world food cultures leaving their mark on cuisines in Brazil, Goa, Macau, Mozambique, and more.
This list of 10 best Portuguese cookbooks take you on an unforgettable journey with simple, delicious and flavorsome recipes.
Whether you’re a novice or skilled cook, you’ll discover unique flavors, ingredients, cooking techniques, and culinary history.
From Portugal’s city of light, all the way to the islands, taste the exciting flavors of Portugal with these Portuguese cookbooks.
Our Top Picks for the Best Portuguese Cookbooks
Best Portuguese Cookbook of All Time
Ana Patuleia Ortins – Authentic Portuguese Cooking
Best Portuguese Cookbook For Beginners
Maria and Lisa Dias – Taste Portugal 101 Easy Portuguese Recipes
Best Portuguese Cookbook For Regional Cuisine
Maria Lawton – Azorean Cooking: From My Family Table to Yours
Best Books on Authentic Portuguese Cuisine
1 – Taste Portugal 101 Easy Portuguese Recipes
As the name suggests, Lisa and Maria Dias have created a family friendly Portuguese cookbook.
Throughout the book, Maria Dias, a food blogger, provides valuable tips about spices and sauces. She instructs on basic cooking techniques, especially for seafood and meat dishes.
With 101 easy recipes, Taste Portugal has sections dedicated to comfort foods, soups, appetizers, and seafood. You will find the traditional favorites found in every Portuguese home.
What we liked about Taste Portugal is the simplicity of the meals while still bursting with flavors.
This mother-daughter pair has written an excellent guide on easy and workable Portuguese recipes for home cooks.
+ Who is It For? This cookbook helps you master simple home cooking the Portuguese way.
– Not For? Someone who is familiar with Portuguese foods and wants a book that focuses on other aspects of the cuisine.
2 – Traditional Portuguese Cooking
Considered a bible of Portuguese cooking, this cookbook presents 800 painstakingly researched recipes from every region in Portugal.
Maria De Lourdes’s book is as traditional and authentic as it gets. The detailed recipes and delicious dishes cover everything from soups to main courses.
There are separate sections dedicated to meats and seafood. You’ll find age-old recipes that use minimal ingredients to make quick and easy meals.
What we loved about the cookbook, other than the exhaustive list, are the “profile notes” that document each recipe’s origin and its adaptations over the years.
Traditional Portuguese Cooking is truly a great reference book for those who want to dive deeper into Portuguese cuisine.
This will soon become one of your favorite Portuguese cookbooks.
+ Who is It For? Best for cooks who appreciate the vastness of Portuguese cooking and love to discover traditional dishes.
– Not For? For someone new to Portuguese cuisine or novice cooks who may be intimidated by the sheer number of recipes in the book.
AUTHENTIC FOOD QUEST TIP: Having a good cookbook holder makes a difference when following recipes in your kitchen. See our review of The 10 Best Cookbook Holders To Have in Your Kitchen
3 – Authentic Portuguese Cooking: Recipes of the Azores, Madeira and Portugal
Ana Patuleia Ortins has created a comprehensive cookbook on Portuguese cuisine, with Publishers Weekly terming it an Encyclopedia of Recipes.
Authentic Portuguese Cooking, her second cookbook, brings the sights, sounds and aromas of Portugal right into your kitchen.
Ana highlights 185 unique Mediterranean-style recipes that represent the food scenes from the islands of Madeira, Azores, and continental Portugal.
With Ana’s detailed instructions and step-by-step instructions, you will master Portuguese recipes, from the most basic to two-day prep meals.
You can start your day with Madeiran potatoes with egg and cheese. Dive into white bean recipes with linguiça sausages. Madeiran homemade bread and many vegetable dishes.
This Portuguese cookbook covers a lot of territory of the country’s delicious cuisine. It’s one of the best books in our opinion, that best showcases lesser known regional foods of Portugal.
+ Who is It For? Someone looking for a wide-ranging cookbook that explores regional Portuguese food.
– Not For? Those who are new to Portuguese cooking and prefer a cookbook on simple home cooking.
4 – The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors From Europe’s Western Coast
David Leite, of LeitesCulinaria.com, is a familiar name in the culinary world having won a James Beard award.
With this book he takes you on a journey into the food cultures and the modern-day soul of Portugal.
The New Portuguese Table is rich with anecdotes about Leite’s personal experiences and wonderful recipes with easy to find ingredients.
The book begins with a primer of the culinary regions in Portugal including the islands. Portuguese wines and food from each are described as well how they are different from each other.
The country’s famous salt cod dishes are highlighted including our favorite pastéis de bacalhau or salt cod fritters recipe.
The book is a mix of traditional dishes from his grandma to modern interpretations of Portugal’s gastronomy.
The gorgeous photography images add to the contemporary vibe of the book.
New Portugal Table is another authentic and educational guidebook on this captivating cuisine.
+ Who Is It For? Someone who is interested in a cookbook based on regional foods and in learning about food cultures.
– Not For? Not for someone seeking a collection of easy and quick home cooked meal recipes.
5 – Recipes From My Portuguese Kitchen: 65 Authentic Recipes From Portugal over 260 Photographs
Recipes From My Portuguese Kitchen is more a coffee table book than a simple collection of recipes.
Renowned chef Miguel De Castro offers his modern interpretation of mainland recipes with this groundbreaking cookbook.
With 65 recipes, it is one of the smaller cookbooks in the list but scores with mouthwatering recipes.
With detailed illustrations and inspiring food images, the book offers a fascinating look at the culinary traditions of the different regions.
Key information on cooking techniques and ingredient details complete the culinary voyage.
+ Who is It For? For cooks who prefer colorful, visual representation of recipes and to cook non-traditional recipes.
– Not For? Someone who is looking for a cookbook with an extensive collection of recipes.
6 – My Lisbon: A Cookbook from Portugal’s City of Light
Unlike the other Portuguese cookbooks on the list, My Lisbon is all about the gastronomic delights of the capital city.
Superstar chef Nuno Mendes, born in Lisbon and based in London, celebrates the cuisine that inspired him.
In this book, Mendes captures the recipes he grew up eating and the flavors evoked from cooking with his grandmother and father.
Filled with personal anecdotes and classic recipes, you’ll be able to easily cook many of these dishes at home.
Find easy to follow methods to make pastéis de nata (custard tarts) or our favorite, jesuita (almond cream triangles).
You’ll also find a variety of Portuguese recipes including delicacies from grilled sardines with salad to slow-baked lamb chanfana.
More than a coffee table book, this cookbook is accessible, with food that people can cook at home.
My Lisbon also includes the chef’s favorite dining spots. If you are traveling to Portugal, visit his newest restaurant BAHR, in the Bairro Alto Hotel in Lisbon.
My Lisbon is a delightful mirror to the City of Light and its food history. The bright and beautiful photos bring this great cuisine to life.
+ Who is It For? For anyone looking for a famous chef’s view Lisbon’s famous foods, recipes and local food scene.
– Not For? Those who prefer an all-inclusive book on traditional or modern Portuguese cooking.
7 – Easy Portuguese Cookbook: Recipes to Bring Home the Flavors of Portugal
True to its name, Easy Portuguese Cookbook brings you simple and sumptuous versions of classic Portuguese dishes.
Stacy Silva-Boutwell has created a cookbook that will enthuse both beginner cooks and experienced chefs.
With no passport required, the 75 recipes in Easy Portuguese Cookbook help you recreate the flavors of Portugal at home.
Whether it’s small bites or petiscos to mastering seafood or soups and stews, the author covers everything from breakfast to dessert.
Based in the US, Stacy offers alternatives to uncommon ingredients tailored for Americans.
You’ll also find a terrific compilation of Portuguese wines including Madeiran wine for specific dishes.
In addition to a detailed description of various regions and their famous foods and wines, this book celebrates the simplicity in Portuguese cooking.
+ Who is It For? For someone who wants to master authentic Portuguese home cooking with simple but delicious recipes. Anyone who loves wine lists and meal plans.
– Not For? Not for someone who is proficient in cooking Portuguese or is looking for niche cookbooks.
8 – For the Love of Portuguese Food
Milena Rodrigues, a Portuguese American has put together a cookbook that connects Portuguese immigrants to their roots.
For the Love of Portuguese Food is a collection of simple and hearty recipes that are most loved in Portugal.
Milena suffuses the pages with not just recipes but her passion and love for Portuguese cuisine and its rich culture.
She wanted to write a Portuguese cookbook in English with tasty and authentic recipes from her family’s cooking repertoire.
With this easy Portuguese cookbook, Milena shows you how to make simple and delicious recipes including soups, appetizers, desserts, main courses and more.
For those who have tried authentic Portuguese cooking and want to go deeper with easy to follow instructions, this book is for you.
Whether you are a novice cook or experienced cook, you can easily attempt these Portuguese dishes in your own kitchen.
+ Who is It For? Anyone who wants to cook everyday Portuguese food with easy to follow recipes. Even experienced cooks will find many recipes in this cookbook that will perk their interest.
– Not For? Not for cookbook lovers looking for a classic and all-inclusive Portuguese cookbook.
9 – My Portugal: Recipes and Stories
Michelin-starred chef and author, George Mendes, introduces you to both traditional Portuguese food and recipes from his restaurants.
From his previous Portuguese restaurants, Aldea and Lupulo, he showcases the cuisine of Portugal through his most popular restaurant dishes.
Traditional Portuguese recipes and modern dishes from the restaurant are detailed along with spectacular photography.
In My Portugal, Mendes guides you on cooking delicious Portuguese dishes with anecdotes and stories and clear step-step instructions.
The 125 recipes feature his take on classic dishes and restaurant favorites from salted cod to his signature duck rice recipe.
Infused with entertaining stories about his home country and journey to becoming a Michelin-starred chef, you’ll enjoy this more personal view.
If you’ve dined at a Mendes restaurant including his newest venture in New York, Veranda, at ModernHaus hotel, you’ll appreciate this book even more.
+ Who is It For? This cookbook is for those looking to recreate recipes from the author’s restaurant and who enjoy new recipes and modern takes on classic foods.
– Not For? Homecooks looking for an in-depth cookbook on the authentic flavors of Portugal.
10 – Azorean Cooking: From My Family Table to Yours
What we love about Azorean Cooking is Maria’s commitment to spread the exciting flavors of Azores island.
As one of the most definitive cookbooks on Azorean cooking, Maria shares a variety of accessible and traditional recipes.
Some recipes are from her family, while others are ones she rediscovered when she returned to the archipelago
Popular Azorean dishes like arroz doce or sweet rice pudding to shrimp Mozambique are covered. Favorites like cheese, sauces, marinades, liquors and tea also get the spotlight.
Maria shares her recipes in a simple, educational and enjoyable way with a focus on a delicious meal.
As the host of “Maria’s Portuguese Table” on PBS, her style is welcoming and inviting, making you feel like you are eating at her dining table.
For home cooks whose knowledge is limited to continental or Lisbon foods, this book brings you the mouthwatering recipes from Azores Island.
+ Who Is It For: For someone who wants to explore regionalPortuguese cooking and Azorean cuisine.
– Not For: Someone looking for a comprehensive book on Portuguese foods and the country’s history.
What is your best Portuguese cookbook? Please let us know in the comments below!
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Claire is co-founder of Authentic Food Quest and a lover of simple and exquisite cuisine. Since 2015, with her partner, Rosemary, she has been traveling the world as a digital nomad, creating content about local food experiences.
Her advice from visiting 45 countries and more than 240 food cities has been featured in Lonely Planet, Business Insider, Honest Cooking, Food Insider, and Huffington Post. She has also co-authored three books, including one in collaboration with Costa Brava Tourism.
An ex-mechanical engineer, Claire is responsible for SEO, keeping the website running, and the fun food & travel videos on YouTube.
When Claire is not eating, she can be found running or cycling. Find out more about Authentic Food Quest