Portuguese vs Chinese food & cuisine

At home, families focus more on practical balance: making sure the meal isn’t too oily, too salty, or too monotonous in texture or temperature. The full harmony is more typical of banquets, holiday meals and restaurants.

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.

In the south, rice takes many forms. Long-grain varieties stay fluffy, medium grains are softer, and glutinous rice becomes sticky when cooked, despite containing no gluten. Beyond steamed rice, it appears as congee, noodles, sheets, cakes, and pastries. Fermented or ground, rice yields snacks, steamed cakes, and delicate dumpling skins.

In the north, wheat replaces rice but isn’t baked into crusty loaves. It’s transformed into steamed buns, dumplings, and noodles – hearty dishes suited to the colder climate.

Chinese cuisine transforms starches like wheat, mung beans, peas, potatoes, and sweet potatoes into entirely new textures rather than just flour. These are turned into glass noodles, liangfen (a cool jelly-like dish), and chewy wheat sheets for stir-fries or salads. The goal is to create smooth, slippery, or elastic sensations.

Grains also become fermented seasonings. Black Shanxi vinegar, dark and umami-rich, is made from sorghum, barley, or rice and used for dipping dumplings. Huangjiu, or yellow rice wine, made from rice or millet, serves as both a drink and a cooking ingredient, adding sweetness and aroma to dishes like drunken chicken and red-braised meats.

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.

Cutting is deliberate and precise. Thin ginger or scallion slices flavor oil quickly; diagonal cuts keep stems crunchy; crosswise cuts help lotus root stay crisp. Using different parts of one vegetable: leaves, stems, roots, adds variety without extra ingredients.

Aromatics like leeks, scallions, garlic chives, and Chinese celery are treated as vegetables, not just seasonings. Clear soups showcase napa cabbage and winter melon, while hot pots highlight mushrooms, greens, and tubers.

Soy stands as a major pillar. China pioneered soy cultivation, using it fresh, dried, fermented, and curdled. No other cuisine has integrated it as deeply.

China also led in mushroom cultivation, with shiitake recorded over 800 years ago, followed by wood ear, enoki, oyster, and straw mushrooms. Valued for texture and umami, dried mushrooms enrich soups and braises with their soaking broth.

Potatoes, common in the north and west, appear in light, tangy stir-fries or soy-braised stews — never creamy or heavy. Their starch is also used to make noodles.

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.

Families simply add more meat to familiar dishes – larger portions, richer versions, or more dishes per meal – without changing the vegetable and grain foundation.

Pork is the everyday staple, chicken provides light broths and weekday meals, and duck carries festive importance. Beef, lamb, and offal hold regional significance. China was among the first to domesticate pigs, which became symbols of prosperity and family. They thrived in traditional farms, feeding on crop byproducts and kitchen waste.

Iconic meat dishes include Peking duck with sweet bean sauce, Hong Shao Rou (soy-braised pork belly), Sichuan Twice-Cooked Pork, Dongpo Pork from Hangzhou, spicy Kung Pao Chicken, and Cantonese Char Siu glazed with honey and soy.

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.

Mollusks are eaten widely, from street stalls to banquets, placing China among the world’s top consumers. Seafood is often cooked alive or freshly killed using quick methods and light sauces — soy, ginger, scallion, Shaoxing wine, or a hint of vinegar. Regional favorites include drunken shrimp in rice wine, salt-and-pepper squid, crab with ginger and scallion, and abalone braised in oyster sauce.

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.

Milk and dairy are rare since most Chinese were historically lactose intolerant. Dairy traditions exist mainly in Inner Mongolia and Tibet, with yogurt, butter tea, and curds. In Han cuisine, dairy appears mostly in modern desserts, milk breads, and Hong Kong–style milk tea.

Instead of dairy, Chinese cuisine turns to soy milk and tofu for creamy textures and protein.

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.

Chinese desserts are light, subtly sweet, and texture-focused. Ingredients like rice flour, beans, sesame, nuts, and fruit replace dairy and heavy cream. Sweetness comes from red bean paste, lotus seeds, or glutinous rice rather than refined sugar.