Israeli vs Portuguese food & cuisine

Bagels are not traditional in Israel, more tied to Ashkenazi communities in the U.S.

Ptitim, or Israeli couscous, was invented in the 1950s as a rice substitute during shortages. Made from wheat, it has a chewy texture and comes in pearl or shaped varieties, cooked like pasta, pilaf, or casserole. Regular couscous, brought by North African Jews, is also common.

Rice is a staple, eaten plain, in pilafs like mujadara, or in rice kugel. 

Corn, introduced to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, quickly became in the central and northern coasts. Its adaptability to diverse microclimates and resilience made it a staple crop, found today in cornbread broa de milho and fried cornmeal milho frito (source).

Rice consumption in Portugal is the highest in Europe. This trend is linked to the early Moorish heritage and the ideal combination of rain, water, and sun that stimulates rice cultivation. The main varieties grown are agulha and carolino; the first is a long grain commonly used as a side dish, while the second is a short grain rice ideal for absorbing liquids in creamy and wet dishes. The Portuguese are so passionate about rice that they incorporate it into custards (queijadas de arroz), pastries (bolo de arroz), puddings (arroz doce), soups (canja de galinha com arroz), and many more.

Roasted vegetable dishes with eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes are common, as are khamutzim (pickled vegetables), connecting Israeli food to wider Middle Eastern and Balkan pickling traditions.

Avocados, introduced in the 1920s, are now hugely popular; per capita consumption is about 10.5–12 kg annually, among the world’s highest and second only to Mexico. Advanced farming made avocados Israel’s largest fruit crop, driven by high local demand, particularly for breakfast and dinners.

Fruits like persimmons, grapefruits, stone fruits, berries, and the sabra (prickly pear), the national fruit, are widely eaten – fresh or in sorbets and smoothies. Dates, figs, grapes, and pomegranates are culturally important, often eaten dried, in baking, or for color and flavor.

Though pulses appear in many traditional Portuguese stews, salads, and soups, they don’t dominate everyday meals. However, in a bar, you’ll likely be served salty lupini beans as a snack. If you order a stew in Portugal, you’ll probably find white beans, kidney beans, fava beans, or chickpeas in it.

Portugal consumes more collard greens per capita than almost any other European country.

This culinary preference towards collards traveled forth and back the Atlantic during colonization and also flourishes in Brazil. Collards are key to a popular caldo verde soup, also cozido à portuguesa (meat and vegetable stew).

The country is one of the world’s largest exporters of tomato paste despite not being a huge fresh tomato consumer. Most of its tomatoes are processed for sauces and exports. Onions and garlic form the aromatic base of almost every savory dish; carrots, various beans, turnips, and greens are important in northern cooking. Bell peppers, pumpkins, and squash round out the common vegetables.

Portugal is rich in fruits, both in consumption and production. Algarve, a southern region of Portugal, is famous for its sweet and juicy oranges, key to bolo de naranja (orange cake). Mainland cultivates apples, pears, quince, plums, cherries, grapes, and medronho (strawberry tree); the Atlantic archipelagos supplement with exotic harvests – pineapples, bananas, passion fruits, anonnas.

Port wine, born in Portugal’s UNESCO-protected Douro Valley, stands as one of the world’s great fortified wines, created by adding grape spirit during fermentation to produce a sweet, rich wine with 19-22% alcohol content. Available in ruby, tawny, white, and vintage styles, port ranges from fresh berry flavors in young ruby ports to the complex nutty, caramel notes found in aged tawnies.

Kosher dietary laws indicate how meat is slaughtered and prepared, while the country’s mix of cultural backgrounds has introduced a wide variety of meat-focused dishes into Israeli cuisine.

Among poultry, the chicken the first choice, but Israelis actually eat more turkey than Americans  – even without Thanksgiving on the calendar. Turkey’s firmer texture is ideal for pastramis and salamis, so farms began raising it in large quantities. Later, with refrigeration making fresh meat easier to store, turkey found new life as a convenience food – in the form of schnitzel or burger patties. Today, it’s a staple on Israeli tables.

In many Arab neighborhoods, mutton has long been feeding big families. Sheep are still raised in villages for household needs. It’s often slow-cooked in stews, grilled for kebabs, baked in pies, or braised with spices and herbs. You’ll see it in dishes shared with Arab, Druze, and Bedouin cuisines – like mansaf or kebab skewers. It’s also common for Jewish holiday meals. Mutton has a role as communal meat – historically tied to village or family feasts.

Beef also has a strong presence – Israel tops the Mediterranean region in overall meat consumption and ranks as the 6th largest consumer per capita worldwide. Beef takes many forms: slow-cooked brisket, hearty cholent , and pastrami are favorites. Add to that the influence of American cuisine, and you’ll find plenty of juicy burgers and steaks, too.

Liver dishes are particularly popular in Israeli cuisine. From chopped liver and skewered goose liver to liver sausages and silky pâtés, it’s a category with lots of variety.

Over the last 50 years, Portugal’s economic growth has led to dietary shifts – lower consumption of plant-based foods and a heightened intake of animal and processed foods. Traditional Portuguese cuisine reflects this balance, with traditional dishes featuring pork, all kinds of sausages, and smoked cuts reinforcing meat-centricity. The majority of Portuguese meat dishes are rich in flavor, hearty, come in the form of stews and one-pot meals, and are accompanied by rich sauces.

Pork is the most popular meat, and the Iberian black pig is especially valued. This rare heritage breed is native to both Spain and Portugal. The special acorn diet and ability to roam freely (a single pig requires 2-5 acres of oak forest) create exceptional marbling, making it the most expensive pork globally. There are great cuts to consume, but the most flavorful are hams, taken from the leg and usually cured. Portuguese people pride themselves on using the entire animal and making sure nothing goes to waste.

It is very challenging to narrow down the common preparations; fish recipes come from the global Jewish diaspora and are endless.

Pickled herring on Israeli tables is an exclusive appetizer compared to other Middle Eastern tables. Fish kufta (hinting at its meat cousin kofte) is fried with spices, herbs, and onions and served with tahini or yogurt sauce. Overall, cold fish dishes, primarily from the Ashkenazi culinary tradition, are both popular and convenient to serve during Shabbat, when cooking is prohibited.

Foremost among these is pelagic cod—bacalhau, a Portuguese national obsession. It’s somewhat ironic that a nation so rich in fresh seafood prefers it preserved and salted. Legend has it that Basque fishermen (from what is now Spain) were sailing near the coast of Norway in the late 1500s, hunting for whales, when they stumbled upon vast schools of cod. They were so far away from home, and with so many fish onboard, the only option was to filet them and cover them with salt, as they would have done with the whale meat.

The Portuguese proudly claim there are over 365 ways to prepare bacalhau—a unique dish for every day of the year. To cook salted cod, the fish must first be rehydrated by soaking in water or milk, then desalted. Once prepared, it can be transformed into a variety of delicious Portuguese dishes.

Fatty, juicy, and voluptuous – Portugal is known for its excellent fresh sardines, grilled and served with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Canned sardines are also a Portuguese delicacy, and they are not reserved to dust in pantries till there is nothing to eat. Canning started in the 19th century as a way of preserving food, and it later served as a long-lasting and nutritious food for soldiers during the two world wars. Today,  canned sardines are even served as starters on restaurants’ menus.

The Portuguese love their seafood fresh and simple, and they consume it widely: they eat more mollusks than anyone else in Europe. Portugal ranks second in the world for consuming cephalopods (like squid and octopus), just behind South Korea. Shellfish, such as clams and shrimp, are commonly steamed or cooked in garlic and cilantro sauce, while hearty stews like caldeirada (fish stew) and cataplana (seafood medley) offer a mix of fish and shellfish in rich broths. Fried fish, like sardines or whitebait, are popular snacks, and seafood rice dishes (arroz de marisco) are a comforting favorite.

Dairy has always played a big role in Israeli farming and in everyday eating, shaped by both Jewish and Mediterranean traditions. You won’t see raw milk used much in cooking, but dairy pops up in breakfast cereals, desserts, and creamy dishes.

Israel has some locally popular cheeses, though many are adaptations of Mediterranean styles rather than completely unique inventions.

Butter and cream show up too, mostly in baking and sauces, but olive oil is an everyday essential.

Traditional Portuguese cuisine does not include cheese in many recipes; it is usually eaten on its own as an appetizer. Among the most famous Portuguese cheeses are:
– Queijo da Serra – semi-soft, rich, intense spreadable cheese from sheep milk
– Azeitao unpasteurized sheep milk cheese, is slightly lighter and milder compared to Serra
– Sao Jorge Azores cows milk cheese, cured at room temperature till it reaches firm, flavor-packed crystals consistency.

Portuguese cuisine is famously egg-centric. Eggs are frequently incorporated into dishes – poached in soups, fried on meat steak, or in Porto sandwich franchesinha, boiled and mixed with cod. Rare dessert goes without a sugar-cinnamon-egg trio.

Animal fats are used way more often than in other Mediterranean countries. In northern regions, lard and rendered pork fat enhance the flavor and texture of bifanas (pork sandwiches), sausages chouriço, farinheira, morcilla, and others. Butter is used in pastries and baked goods, though is still less prevalent than vegetable oils, especially olive oil.

Olive trees have been on the Portuguese landscape for thousands of years. Portuguese consumers approach olive oil selection with discerning standards—carefully evaluating the growing region, acidity level, color profile, and specific olive varieties used. Portuguese put it on everything from bread to salad to fish; no table is complete without olive oil and vinegar.

Along with honey, fruit blossom waters, and almond syrup, silan is a characteristic Middle Eastern and Israeli sweetener. Silan, a date honey or dark sticky syrup, is a substitute for sugar, used in many desserts.

Chestnuts played an important role historically: were used to thicken broths, garnish soup, added to bread. Up to date, even though frequently replaced with other cereals, chestnut remains a beloved ingredient.  During the fall, it is very likely to see a chestnut roaster on streets, served in newspaper cones; there are many new recipes featuring chestnuts that revive its popularity.

Portugal’s signature pastéis de nata– a crisp pastry shell filled with creamy custard – has achieved international recognition, appearing in cafés worldwide. The Portuguese sweet palette also prefers ovos moles – sweet egg yolk creams often shaped like seashells, pão de ló – airy sponge cake, and doce de gila – candied squash) distinguishing it from neighboring Mediterranean traditions through the predominance of egg yolks rather than nuts or fruits.