One of the first things I do when I arrive in a foreign country is to visit a grocery store. Apart from simply taking in the range of produce and products and getting an idea of what foods are important to locals, it’s also just a lot of fun to take in an entirely new range of brands and logos. As someone who loves to cook, I know that a grocery store visit also typically forms the last stop of any trip, a way of taking home some of the flavors, tastes, textures, and ingredients I encountered during my stay.
I’ve been visiting Portugal for more than a decade and have lived here full-time for around three years now and I still find grocery shopping here a fascinating cultural experience, one of the clearest reminders I’m not at home.
Where should I shop for food?
The most traditional place to shop for groceries in Portugal is the mercado, or fresh market. Unfortunately, these are a dying breed. Although vibrant fresh markets can be found in cities including Lisbon, Setúbal and Olhão, today the vast majority of Portuguese people do most of their shopping at two types of venues.
A mercearia is essentially the corner shop, a small, typically privately-run grocery store that has the essentials and also typically a decent selection of fruit. A good mercearia will also have a small vegetable section, a few types of bread, and perhaps even some cheeses and smoked meats.
A step up from this – at least in terms of scale – is the supermercado. There are a handful of domestic and international supermarket chains operating in Portugal, but it must be said that shopping at them isn’t always a great experience. Often understaffed and with produce that doesn’t reflect the country’s bounty of vegetables, fruit, cheeses, meats and other products, they’re a poor substitute for fresh markets. Yet there are some fascinating quirks. The Portuguese are some of the biggest consumers in the world, and even a small neighborhood supermarket will have a decent fish section, with a fishmonger at least eight or so types of fresh fish. There’s also almost always a dedicated corner for processing entire sides of bacalhau (salt cod) a staple ingredient in the country. With lots of connections to Brazil and Africa, the selection of fruit at a Portuguese supermarket can be intriguing. And this being Portugal, the wine is inevitably cheap.
Portugal is also home to a variety of specialist shops, although these are also being lost at a rapid rate. A manteigaria was formerly a store that sold butter (manteiga) and perhaps also deli-like goods – cheese, smoked meats, salt cod. Today, they’re often known as charcutarias. Butcher shops, known as talhos, thrive in Portugal. Traditional stores that sell bulk coffee and tea – often from ancient cabinets and drawers – can still be found. A garrafeira is a bottle shop, a business that still thrives in Portugal. Conserveiras specialize in tinned seafood. And despite the name, a drogaria isn’t where you’d go for paracetamol, but rather where you might buy household items such as a mop, floor wax, toothpaste, a tin bucket or nail clippers.
The products you can’t leave Portugal without buying (and what to ask for)
Tinned fish
Portugal produces some of the world’s best tinned fish, an item available at gourmet mercearias and supermercados, or specialist conserveiras. Look for anything produced by the brand Pinhais, or for something particularly unique to Portugal, the small, round tins of fish pâté, such as those made by Manná or Fides.
Olive oil
Portugal’s olive oil is a great value. Oils from Alentejo, inland central Portugal, such as those made by Esporão, are delicious and easy to find at most supermarkets, but look for the spicier ones from Trás-os-Montes, such as Romeu or Rosmaninho, in the country’s far north.
Sausages & smoked meats
Portugal has a deep tradition of sausages and smoked meats, a legacy apparent even at a small grocery store. If your destination’s customs allow it, look for presunto de porco preto, cured ham made from Iberian black-footed pigs, some of the best in the world. Grab a ring or two of chouriço, Portugal’s ubiquitous spicy smoked sausage, or alheira, a sausage stuffed with poultry and spiced bread.
Cheeses
Queijo de São Jorge, a hard, aged cow’s milk cheese from the Azores, travels particularly well. Pair it with a tub of marmelada, quince paste; Quinta do Côro brand is available at gourmet-leaning mercearias.
Toiletries
Portugal produces some wonderfully fragrant soaps that are available at the more traditional drograrias and at some supermercados; look for Ach. Brito brand. Old-school drogarias also have a wonderful selection of old-timey shaving equipment – lathers, badger hair shaving brushes and colognes.
Tips for shopping in Portuguese food shops
If you’re visiting a more traditional butcher or other specialty shop, be prepared to wait a bit; for many locals, especially the older generation, these visits form an important part of their social lives, and the conversation can often go far beyond simply what cut of pork is desired.
Portuguese shopping habits
The Portuguese typically set aside weekends, particularly Sunday, for big shopping trips.
Despite these big shopping days, during the week, locals can be found at butchers and fishmongers. The Portuguese are particular about their proteins, and even small supermarkets have full-service fishmongers and butchers, with locals making specific requests.
Best Times to shop
If you’re looking to shop in peace, avoid weekends or late afternoons. We’ve found that the lines are shortest around 3pm.
Shopping etiquette
For some reason, nearly every Portuguese supermarket has at least one guard or policeman on duty. I’ve yet to witness an armed robbery, so I assume they’re doing a great job.
Bags aren’t free, so bring your own unless you’re willing to pay.
Upon paying, you’ll typically be asked if you want to register your contribuinte, essentially a tax reduction; unless you have a NIF, or government-issued fiscal ID number, just say no thanks.
Payment methods
Although just about every type of vendor nowadays has a card swiping device, smaller mercearias are cash-only, or sometimes will only accept cards for payments above 5 euros. Places that don’t accept cards will have a sign saying Não Há Multibanco. Locals sometimes pay via MBWay, a fund transfer app.
