10 things to eat and drink when you’re in Portugal and Northern Spain

Finding something good to eat in Portugal and Northern Spain is ridiculously easy Nearly every establishment serves its own specialties often seafood-based near the coast But there are chosen traditional and not-so-traditional foods you should seek out while you re in the area Here are dishes to try the majority of which are laborious to find elsewhere in the world Cachorrinhos small hot dogs at Gazela in Porto Portugal Jess Fleming Pioneer Press Cachorrinhos small hot dogs Popular especially in Porto these skinny sausages stuffed into a long crispy fluffy roll along with a little cheese and chosen piri piri hot sauce are a hot-dog lover s dream We had one at Gazela a popular local watering hole in Porto that became world famous after Anthony Bourdain s visit there aired in That being declared expect to wait a bit for a table especially during peak hours Given how insanely cheap the hot dogs and crisp refreshing beer are I d say it s worth every second Pro tip Get more than one especially if you re there with more than two people They are so good you ll regret not having one more nibble A pastel de nata at Manteigaria in Lisbon Portugal Jess Fleming Pioneer Press Portuguese pastries If you re at all aware of the Portuguese food scene you perhaps know about pastel de nata the little cream tarts served all over Lisbon and much of the country But what you might not know is that every little town in Portugal has a pastry it is known for Stop into any local bakery and ask for their specialty countless of which contain obscene amounts of egg yolks That being announced we did spend quite a bit of time trying to find the best pastel de nata and I think we landed on Manteigaria which has locations all over Lisbon and goes through so multiple of the tarts that they are invariably just-out-of-the-oven warm Bifanas pork sandwiches at Taxca in Porto Portugal Jess Fleming Pioneer Press Bifanas These pork sandwiches served on a light airy crusty roll are popular all over Portugal We ascertained a largest part excellent version at Taxca a Porto bar popular with locals For the filling pork loin is pounded thin and marinated in white wine garlic paprika and sometimes a limited hot chiles as is the affair with the spicy version at Taxca where the guys behind the bar pile a bun high with the meat before dragging it through the jus I m honestly still thinking about this simple perfect sandwich nearly a month later A Francesinha sandwich in Sintra Portugal Jess Fleming Pioneer Press Francesinha This sandwich identified at nearly every casual eatery in Portugal is anything but simple Two pieces of square bread are layered with steak ham and cheese then smothered with a tomato and beer sauce before being topped with a sunny-side-up egg It is messy it is delicious and it is the perfect hangover food I speak from experience A woman pours ginjinha into chocolate shot glasses on a street in the Alfama neighborhood of Lisbon Portugal Courtesy of Jason Thomas Ginjinha I m not reliably a liqueur person generally they are too sweet for me but this cherry-infused brandy ascertained all over Portugal is pretty good The sour cherries it s made with offer a lot of complexity and though there s sugar it doesn t taste overwhelmingly sweet Often it s served in an edible chocolate shot glass First you sip it down a bit then you put the whole thing in your mouth and chew for the best experience Don t worry the ultra-helpful Portuguese will give you a tutorial when you order it My favorite was a chocolate-cup shot from a woman selling them on the street in Lisbon s Alfama neighborhood Pinchos in San Sebastian Spain Jess Fleming Pioneer Press Pinchos or Pintxos The former is the Spanish spelling the latter is Basque These little snacks often one or two bites for people with bigger mouths than mine are the Basque Country s answer to tapas and I love them Sometimes served on little slices of baguette sometimes on skewers they re usually meat or fish adorned with vegetables and whatever else strikes the chef s fancy Traditionally people in the region would go out for a drink and one pinchos before dinner but as they have grown in popularity tourists and locals alike are making dinner out of hopping from one restaurant to the next ordering a little snack and a drink at each until they re full I love the tapas crawl heritage in southern Spain so the pinchos crawl was a delight for us The best places we identified to do this were Logro o and San Sebastian s old town Piparras fried in tempura batter at Bar la Quimera tin Logro o Spain Jess Fleming Pioneer Press Piparras These mildly spicy small peppers are popular in Basque Country If you can find them dipped in tempura batter and fried you re in luck They are so delicious that we returned to Bar la Quimera the place that sold them this way in Logro o for a second night in a row Jam n Ib rico on a charcuterie platter in Spain Jess Fleming Pioneer Press Jam n Ib rico All over Spain the people love ham They are proud of their ham They put it on everything It is delicious Honestly it s gotta be tough to be someone who doesn t eat pork in these parts because it s hard to avoid it Basque cheesecake at La Vi a in San Sebastian Spain Jess Fleming Pioneer Press Basque cheesecake Though I wouldn t necessarily call this a traditional Basque food it was invented at La Vi a in San Sebastian in the s this cheesecake has gone viral on social media for a reason It s simple creamy and delicious Unlike New York cheesecake there s no crust on this cake it s just all the good stuff cooked at a higher temperature than the U S version to keep the inside extra creamy and burnish the outside just enough to offer a caramelized flavor and a little texture Pair it with a glass of Txakoli see below Txacoli wine in Zumaia Spain Jess Fleming Pioneer Press Txakoli Although it is manageable to find this tart slightly effervescent Basque Country white wine in Minnesota I scored two brands at Mick s Bottle Shop on St Paul s Grand Avenue it s something you can and should drink while you re in the area It is much cheaper there and it goes really well with seafood pinchos and well everything Our group drank a great number of bottles of it in Logro o and San Sebastian Apparently Txakoli had been poorly regarded by wine snobs for a large number of years but has just now grown in popularity I m not a wine snob but I think it s delightful Related Articles Reader trip to Portugal and Spain features funiculars fun fabulous food Smart progress hacks for the well-heeled from hotel designer Kelly Wearstler What to know as US prepares to require REAL ID for countless air travelers next month The best new hotel in the world is in Denver says Esquire Worries about flying seem to be taking off Here s how to cope with in-flight anxiety