Porto is a coastal city in northwest Portugal known for its stately bridges and port wine production.
In the medieval Ribeira (riverside) district, there are narrow cobbled streets that wind past merchants’ houses and cafes.
The second-largest city in Portugal is known for its long history and tradition relating to the sea and its river which means that seafood rule the day but that doesn’t mean they don’t love meat.
Here are Porto’s best five dishes you should never miss if you ever visit the city according to bbcgoodfood.
Queijo da Serra da Estrela
This runny mountain cheese is made from sheep’s milk. To eat it, first, unwrap the cloth that surrounds it. Do not cut off the top and dig in like it’s stilton, instead, carefully slice the cheese at the side and allow it to flow from the centre. When you’ve had enough, replace the heel of the rind and wrap it back up with the cloth.
Francesinha
This local dish is a beast of a ham and steak sandwich baked with cheese on top. When the cheese is molten, it is anointed with a ladleful of a seasoned beer-based sauce and crowned with a fried egg.
Some say this is the Portuguese version of the croque monsieur, but because of the beer-based sauce, it’s got more in common with Welsh rarebit.
Sandes de pernil
While the francesinha might be Porto’s most famous local dish, this slow-roasted pork loin sandwich most tourist’s favourite.
Aletria
Like rice pudding but made with angel hair pasta, this is a traditional Christmas dish in northern Portugal but you can find it year-round. It is flavoured with lemon peel and spiced with a criss-cross pattern of cinnamon.
Bacalhau
The Portuguese love dried and salted cod whether in croquettes or cooked with rice, potatoes, tomatoes, or peppers – try them all. (Note that fresh cod is called bacalhau fresco.)
