Christmas Eve celebrations in Portugal

Expatriates and visitors to Portugal may be surprised to learn that the peak of Christmas celebrations in Portugal takes place on Christmas Eve, often in the late evening of December 24 and in the early hours of Christmas morning.

Consoada
Consoada is the traditional Portuguese on Christmas Eve.

Almost all houses will have the national dish of Portugal, the bacalhãu (dried and salted cod), as part of consoada. Bacalhãu de Consoada is a relatively simple recipe of cod with cabbage, potatoes, boiled eggs and a healthy amount of olive oil.

In the North of Portugal and the Algarve, you will see the octopus served as a traditional Christmas meal.

The roast turkey has made more appearances at the Christmas table in recent years, but it's not that traditional. In northern Portugal, lamb or goat have traditionally had their place. In southern Portugal, you are likely to see pork.

Take a look: 

👉 The 10 most famous recipes (ourhomeportugal.com)  

👉 The History of Cod (ourhomeportugal.com)