gluten in Portugal

[alberta]

Hello,

My husband and I are planning a trip in Portugal, visiting Lisbon, Sintra, Obidos, Coimbra, the Serra de Estrela mountains, and the Douro river valley, and finishing up in Porto. I've been lurking in this forum for a while reading all the great recommendations for dining in at least some of those places. Thanks for all of that, it's making my mouth water.

I have a very specific question, though, and I was hoping some of the resident Portugal experts could help me out:

I am gluten intolerant, which, if you're not familiar with it, means that I cannot eat anything made of wheat or its relatives (rye, barley, spelt). That includes, obviously, bread and pastries and pasta, but also even the tiniest bit of flour added as a thickener in a sauce, or lightly coating a fish about to be fried. I'm highly sensitive to it, like an allergy (though technically it's not an allergy, it's an intolerance).

In general I've worked out how to eat out very well, I know obvious things to avoid, and it's not a problem travelling when I speak the language. But, while I can read Portuguese I can't speak it really at all, so my question is: can you point out some things that might contain wheat that I wouldn't necessarily expect?

For example:

-Do some people use wheat starch to thicken a flan or custard in Portugal? (I have heard of this in general as a danger, but I wonder about Portuguese habits in particular.)

-What about sausage? I know there is at least one specialty sausage made with flour or bread, but should I worry about things like that being added to other sausages?

-When fish is fried, including sardines and bacalhao, do people flour it?

I'm just talking about average, traditional, seafood and grill type places, of the sort that so many people have recommended in the Portugal threads. Obviously a more upscale restaurant is less predictable.

And don't worry about giving me wrong advice--if I get glutened it won't be life-threatening, I'll just be unhappy for a few days.

Thanks, I'd appreciate any guidance.

Anne

[PauloR]

Hello,

My husband and I are planning a trip in Portugal, visiting Lisbon, Sintra, Obidos, Coimbra, the Serra de Estrela mountains, and the Douro river valley, and finishing up in Porto.  I've been lurking in this forum for a while reading all the great recommendations for dining in at least some of those places.  Thanks for all of that, it's making my mouth water.

I have a very specific question, though, and I was hoping some of the resident Portugal experts could help me out:

I am gluten intolerant, which, if you're not familiar with it, means that I cannot eat anything made of wheat or its relatives (rye, barley, spelt).  That includes, obviously, bread and pastries and pasta, but also even the tiniest bit of flour added as a thickener in a sauce, or lightly coating a fish about to be fried.  I'm highly sensitive to it, like an allergy (though technically it's not an allergy, it's an intolerance). 

In general I've worked out how to eat out very well, I know obvious things to avoid, and it's not a problem travelling when I speak the language.  But, while I can read Portuguese I can't speak it really at all, so my question is:  can you point out some things that might contain wheat that I wouldn't necessarily expect?

For example:

-Do some people use wheat starch to thicken a flan or custard in Portugal?  (I have heard of this in general as a danger, but I wonder about Portuguese habits in particular.)

-What about sausage?  I know there is at least one specialty sausage made with flour or bread, but should I worry about things like that being added to other sausages?

-When fish is fried, including sardines and bacalhao, do people flour it?

I'm just talking about average, traditional, seafood and grill type places, of the sort that so many people have recommended in the Portugal threads.  Obviously a more upscale restaurant is less predictable.

And don't worry about giving me wrong advice--if I get glutened it won't be life-threatening, I'll just be unhappy for a few days.

Thanks, I'd appreciate any guidance.

Anne

←

Hi Anne.

I will try to help you.

In Lisbon I think you do not have major problems.

I can recomend you some restaurants in Lisbon.

Best new restaurante Quinta de Catralvos. 40 minutes South of Lisbon. http://www.quintadecatralvos.com/

Chef Luís Baena, worked with Paul Bocuse, Joel Robuchon and in many places in Japan.

Tasting menu not more than 50 euros p/p with wines by the glass. Some fotos :

Cheese with trufle, ham toast with salmon caviar

This is marinated fish, with dried vegetables...

Snail brioche with Porto Vintage caviar.

Marinated sardines

Hotdog -Shrimp sausage with home made mustard.

Seabass

Red mullet

Tea, lime and vodka ice cream

Mushrooms with ham and quail eggs

Quail

Eggs cooked at low temperature, with trufle.

Potatoes salad with olive oil and trufles

Raspberry merengue

Deserts

Some of these dishes have gluten, but if you want to go, you can e-mail direct to the Chef, and explain him. I can send you by PM the chef e-mail, if you wish.

In Cascais Restaurante 100 Maneiras, ( new portuguese food ) Nice place, ( Fisherman's beach ) very good food, good wine list. Menu with wines by the glass 55 euros, TELEFONE 214835394

I have also the Chef e-mail.

If you like seafood, ( Shrimp, Lobster, Percebes ) go to Ericeira ( near Sintra).

Restaurant " Mar à Vista ".

It's probably the ugly and noisiest restaurante in Ericeira, but it have the best lobsters, langostines .... in Lisbon area. Telefone: 261 862 928

I think here you have not gluten problems. Stamed shrimps, langostines, lobster, percebes.

Near Obidos go Peniche, 25 Km, and you have Grilled Sardines.

Avoid fried fish, fried meat, esparregado ( green vegetables mixed with olive oil, garlic and flour, its like mashed potatoes with green colour ), meat gravys.

" Bacalhau à Lagareiro is nice" grlled cod wit garlic/onions and olive oil. Other dishes with bacalhau could contain flour.

Some sausages have flour.

Regards

[alberta]

Avoid fried fish, fried meat, esparregado ( green vegetables mixed with olive oil, garlic and flour, its like mashed potatoes with green colour ), meat gravys.

" Bacalhau à Lagareiro is nice" grlled cod wit garlic/onions and olive oil. Other dishes with bacalhau could contain flour.

Some sausages have flour.

Thanks, PauloR, these are really good tips. I'm curious about avoiding fried meat and fish--do you think they are generally flour-dipped? But sardines not? I'm guessing that if I go for grelhada as opposed to frito (or is there another word for fried?) it's more likely to be just slapped on the fire with some fat, salt, and spices, the best way.

And while some sausages contain flour, do you think I am right in assuming that the ubiquitous chouriço is usually gluten-free?

The suggestion for Bacalhau à Lagareiro is great. That's just the sort of thing I was hoping for, the portuguese names of dishes that I should seek out or avoid!

I have also learned from previous posts that these dishes--

sopa alentejana

açorda de gambas

--are made with bread. Good to know, because you wouldn't expect sopa to be bread-based. Unfortunately I'm sure there are many others. But, I'm determined to experiment. I'll just make my husband eat something if it arrives unexpectedly bready!

Many thanks,

Anne

[PauloR]

contain flour.

Some sausages have flour.

Thanks, PauloR, these are really good tips.  I'm curious about avoiding fried meat and fish--do you think they are generally flour-dipped?  But sardines not?  I'm guessing that if I go for grelhada as opposed to frito (or is there another word for fried?) it's more likely to be just slapped on the fire with some fat, salt, and spices, the best way.

And while some sausages contain flour, do you think I am right in assuming that the ubiquitous chouriço is usually gluten-free?

I have also learned from previous posts that these dishes--

sopa alentejana

açorda de gambas

--are made with bread.  Good to know, because you wouldn't expect sopa to be bread-based.  Unfortunately I'm sure there are many others.  But, I'm determined to experiment.  I'll just make my husband eat something if it arrives unexpectedly bready!

Many thanks,

Anne

←

Sardinha grelhada, is grilled sardine. Sardine is a fat fish, and is grilled only with salt. Generally it is served with boilled potatoes, salad, and extra virgin olive oil as a sauce.

Choriço is gluten free.

Portuguese vegetable soups are usualy gluten free. Only made with vegetables, salt and olive oil.

"Caldo Verde" is a tradicional soup is gluten free.

Edited June 9, 2006 by PauloR (log)

[alberta]

Sardinha grelhada, is grilled sardine. Sardine is a fat fish, and is grilled only with salt. Generally it is served with boilled potatoes, salad, and extra virgin olive oil as a sauce.

Choriço is gluten free.

Portuguese vegetable soups are usualy gluten free. Only made with vegetables, salt and olive oil.

"Caldo Verde" is a tradicional soup is gluten free.

←

also really great to know. many thanks.

i leave tomorrow, so i'll get a chance to taste the delicious sardinha grelhada very soon!

Best,

Anne

[alberta]

Back now from Portugal, just wanted to thank you again for your advice and give an update. It turned out that we were in Lisbon the weekend of Saint Anthony's festival day (as well as Portugal Day, and the day of Portugal's first world cup game), so the city was hopping. Sardines were being grilled by the hundreds everywhere--and I mean everywhere. Not only in every restaurant but on every front stoop, every balcony, every square inch a makeshift charcoal grill could be set up in a corner of a little square in Alfama. Amazing. And, happily, terrific for me since whole grilled fish seemed to pose no risk of gluten contamination. And they do it so well, loading it up with rock salt and charring the outside so that when you pick the meat of the delicate bones you get some of that char and salt and juices from the outside all over it...

It turned out that Portugal was easy gluten-free eating over all, as I could build amazing meals from olives, cheese (serra de estrela is great), fish/meat, boiled potatoes, cabbage or salad, almost anywhere.

My husband also really enjoyed açorda, and farinheira, and we had a fantastic cabrito asado in a little riverside restaurant in Tomar.

At any rate, thanks again!

Best,

Anne