Vegetarians in Portugal--check out Migas

[Friend from Barquinha]

As we start to see more peregrinos/as determinedly hiking along the caminho downhill from us, and as we spend some weeks here in rural Portugal, it occurs to me that definitely, eating as a vegetarian, for a traveller in rural Portuga,l is a challenge. This is a meat-friendly country. The portions are generous. The average Portuguese small-town cook would be embarrassed to serve you less than what, to me, seems an overwhelming amount of animal protein. I regularly bring home half my serving to make soup or a stir-fry later. I suspect this dates from a past with an impoverished rural population where for the average family, meat was a treat for feast-days only. As a result, Portugal now has its full share of health issues related to a rich diet.

Regardless, this means that outside the restaurants that reflect international food trends, vegetarian options are sparse. So I want to remind those who want or need less meat, or no meat at all, of an option you can find almost anywhere. The topic has been mentioned in posts a few years ago, but none specifically aimed at the pilgrim in Portugal.

The food option is migas, (pronounced "mee-gush") literally meaning "crumbs," which is a Portuguese stand-by, usually served as a side-dish, but really tasty, and with beans/garbanzos added, a quite complete meal. A full plate of it is very filling, and reasonably healthy. It's like a stuffing that you would serve with meat, with veggies added.

In its basic form, it includes shredded kale or cabbage plus garlic/other seasonings and shredded broa, which is a rural bread made of a mix of wheat flour and fine cornmeal. Broa is really good but doesn't keep well, so leftovers are generally available. And of course, since it includes corn, if mixed with beans, it's a source of protein.

Some migas have bacon or chouriço sausage added for flavour, but many don't.

What you want to ask for is migas sem carne ("migas without meat"). They are delicious! And pretty much everywhere

In Portuguese but showing you what you'd get; this video shows cooking Migas de Broa com Couve e Feijão Frade ("Migas made of Broa with Cabbage and Black-Eyed Peas")--various cooked dried beans are also available in every corner store in Portugal--cheap, and either in cans or jars--so pretty much anywhere you could get something like this.

Suggestions for other vegetarian options in Portugal?

 

[Wendy Werneth]

Good tip, I agree that migas are a great option! Recipes do seem to vary a lot from region to region (or maybe just from cook to cook). I've had some migas where the kale was the primary ingredient rather than the stale bread crumbs.

Another veg protein source that you'll find everywhere in Portugal is tremoços. These are lupin seeds and are a very common bar snack, perhaps even more common than peanuts. They are high in protein and other nutrients and are actually used to make a lot of the veg meat products on the market these days.

As you've noted, it's rare to see veg main dishes on Portuguese menus, but in my experience cooks are often willing to whip up a basic dish of whatever vegetables and/or legumes they have on hand.

And if not, at a minimum you'll always be able to get vegetable soup (sopa de legumes), rice, fries and salad. If that doesn't sound satisfying enough, consider carrying a can of veg sausages (sold in many Portuguese grocery stores) or a sauce or something to embellish your meal.

I have story highlight reels showing every meal I ate (all vegan) on various routes through Portugal (Lisbon to Santiago, Nascente, Torres and Braga) on my Instagram account.

 

[tarredon]

As we start to see more peregrinos/as determinedly hiking along the caminho downhill from us, and as we spend some weeks here in rural Portugal, it occurs to me that definitely, eating as a vegetarian, for a traveller in rural Portuga,l is a challenge. This is a meat-friendly country. The portions are generous. The average Portuguese small-town cook would be embarrassed to serve you less than what, to me, seems an overwhelming amount of animal protein. I regularly bring home half my serving to make soup or a stir-fry later. I suspect this dates from a past with an impoverished rural population where for the average family, meat was a treat for feast-days only. As a result, Portugal now has its full share of health issues related to a rich diet.

Regardless, this means that outside the restaurants that reflect international food trends, vegetarian options are sparse. So I want to remind those who want or need less meat, or no meat at all, of an option you can find almost anywhere. The topic has been mentioned in posts a few years ago, but none specifically aimed at the pilgrim in Portugal.

The food option is migas, (pronounced "mee-gush") literally meaning "crumbs," which is a Portuguese stand-by, usually served as a side-dish, but really tasty, and with beans/garbanzos added, a quite complete meal. A full plate of it is very filling, and reasonably healthy. It's like a stuffing that you would serve with meat, with veggies added.

In its basic form, it includes shredded kale or cabbage plus garlic/other seasonings and shredded broa, which is a rural bread made of a mix of wheat flour and fine cornmeal. Broa is really good but doesn't keep well, so leftovers are generally available. And of course, since it includes corn, if mixed with beans, it's a source of protein.

Some migas have bacon or chouriço sausage added for flavour, but many don't.

What you want to ask for is migas sem carne ("migas without meat"). They are delicious! And pretty much everywhere

In Portuguese but showing you what you'd get; this video shows cooking Migas de Broa com Couve e Feijão Frade ("Migas made of Broa with Cabbage and Black-Eyed Peas")--various cooked dried beans are also available in every corner store in Portugal--cheap, and either in cans or jars--so pretty much anywhere you could get something like this.

Suggestions for other vegetarian options in Portugal?

I lived on cheese and mushroom omelettes when we were journeying on our Camino through Portugal! And even though I ate so many of them, they were all delicious! (they often were not on the menu, but when I asked for something vegetarian and suggested an omelette, the proprietors were happy to provide).

I didn’t see any Migas, but if I go back I will definitely be looking for them.

I did see another dish that often accompanied fish but makes a great vegetarian dish all by itself. It was garbanzo beans with boiled eggs and some tomato and chopped onion, with an oil and vinegar dressing- delicious!!

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

And if not, at a minimum you'll always be able to get vegetable soup (sopa de legumes), rice, fries and salad. If that doesn't sound satisfying enough, consider carrying a can of veg sausages (sold in many Portuguese grocery stores) or a sauce or something to embellish your meal.

Also good tips! Though I have to say, I'm usually disappointed with their sopa de legumes; all the veggies tend to be cooked REALLY thoroughly and then blended into an orange-y purée; sometimes with a few cut-up vegies added, but often not.

If you prefer a more solid/chunky soup and it's on the menu, sopa de pedra (stone soup) is generally very good; not sure, though, it may include some meat. I guess you could ask "Há carne?" ("Is there meat?")

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

I did see another dish that often accompanied fish but makes a great vegetarian dish all by itself. It was garbanzo beans with boiled eggs and some tomato and chopped onion, with an oil and vinegar dressing- delicious!!

Yes, garbanzo beans (grão de bico or just grão) are another standby across Portugal. Very popular in a variety of dishes.

 

[Daddyfrog]

Thanks everyone, a useful thread!

 

[VNwalking]

tremoços. These are lupin seeds and are a very common bar snack,

I thought lupin seeds were toxic, because of a high concentration of a lupin-specific alkaloid?
Do they do something to them to denature the toxin?

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

I thought lupin seeds were toxic, because of a high concentration of a lupin-specific alkaloid?
Do they do something to them to denature the toxin?

It sounds as if they're really lupini beans rather than lupin seeds, though this does suggest that they're not very edible without quite a bit of soaking.

Marinated Lupini Bean Recipe from Portugal - Legal Nomads

Lupini beans are easy to make but take a bit of patience. This is a lupini bean recipe from Portugal, called tremocos there.

www.legalnomads.com

 

[VNwalking]

really lupini beans rather than lupin seeds

Same thing! But thanks for the link - the article has the answer to my question :

Because of this outer layer, and the alkaloids found in the earlier Roman era version of these beans, the lupini are usually prepared by cooking and preserving them in a salty water marinade. While modern lupini beans are not as aggressively alkaloidal, soaking them overnight, boiling, and then re-soaking for days is a necessity.