I muttered this question to myself as I clicked through reviews of nearby restaurants and markets in my little neighborhood of Fox Point, Providence. There are a lot of places boasting authentic Portuguese cuisine, along with bread and pastry or a wide variety of madeira. While I miss so much about living in Washington, D.C., Providence has surpassed my expectations related to food offerings. One of the greatest surprises has been getting to know Portuguese cuisine, and seeing how embedded this culture is within the area. Immigrants from Portugal heavily settled Fox Point at the beginning of the 20th century, drawn here for manufacturing and waterfront employment opportunities. I recently learned that thirty-two percent of residents claim Portuguese ancestry in our neighborhood.

Local Treats

We’re practically swimming in bakeries and cafes within walking distance of our house. Yet I’m surprised that the unassuming Portuguese bakery around the corner, called Silver Star, has been our favorite. They sell amazing Portuguese rolls which we use for sandwiches, and Brazilian pão de queijo, small cheese breads. The proprietors make savory buns stuffed with chouriço, similar but distinct from chorizo, every morning. And the sweets! Oh, the sweets …. the first thing that catches your eye when you step into the shop is a full display case of delectable pasteis de nata. The second thing is a display case right next to it, stocked with dozens of flamboyantly colored cookies, pastries, and slices of cake.

In a VERY official taste test of the desserts Silver Star Bakery had to offer, my favorites were all marzipan-based. Marzipan is a treat of ground almonds with a sweetener such as sugar or honey. Typically, Portuguese marzipan is fashioned in the shape of various fruits to create delightfully colorful cookies. The ones I most enjoyed, though, were layered slabs of multicolored marzipan dipped in chocolate, with the effect of looking like little pieces of a layered birthday cake!

Our nearest liquor store is owned by a Portuguese family and specializes in madeira wines. In fact, the store is called Madeira. These are fortified, often sweet, wines whose namesake, the Maderia islands, was settled and occupied by Portugal for several centuries. Maderia wine was very popular with a certain American founding father and is said to have been present at toasts during the signing of the Declaration of Independence. While madeira is not something I keep around, we remain frequent visitors of that liquor store as they stock Heady Topper for an incredibly reasonable price.

Meat and Seafood

Did you know that Portugal has Europe’s highest fish consumption per capita, and is among the top four in the world for this indicator? Seafood, and the trade in fishing or trapping shellfish, brought a lot of Portuguese people to this area. All along the coasts of New England, you can find a notable Portuguese influence. I first recognized this a few years ago while visiting Provincetown, Massachusetts, a favorite vacation destination. This town sits on the very outermost tip of Cape Cod, named for the fish that is a staple in Portuguese cuisine. I’ve come to love variations on Portuguese fish stew, like this one, and the traditional produce used in recipes like it. Potatoes (a new world crop) became part of the Portuguese diet pretty early compared to other European (old world) countries, and the Portuguese also adopted tomatoes (another new world crop) earlier than most.

If you have a look at the recipe for stew linked above, you’ll notice that fish and seafood are commonly prepared in the same dishes as other meats in Portuguese cuisine. We go to a Portuguese butcher shop monthly to get a package of all different types of “land meat” – beef, chicken, and pork. The meat is carefully prepared, with their variety of quality products displayed in cases reminiscient of our favorite bakery. I’m fascinated by the large legs of presunto, a variety of smoked ham, hanging from hooks in the back room. Alongside the meat, our butcher sells all the makings for traditional stews in their small market. Stepping into the shop and hearing orders placed in Portuguese is a mini culture shock every time, and needless to say, we’re quickly becoming regulars.

A Bit of Historical Context

All of this interesting cuisine, and especially the focus on seafood, has roots in Portugal’s history as a powerful player in trade. In the 15th century, the Portuguese established trade routes to India and Brazil, and shortly thereafter, even farther-flung locations like China and Timor. Magellan, who famously circumnavigated the globe, was Portuguese.

The Portuguese empire’s navigation and seafaring prowess gave them access to many valuable goods such as spices and delicacies, since they had access to parts of the world not yet explored by European powers at the time. Unfortunately, this resulted in a seminal role in the Atlantic slave trade. The Portuguese were involved in transporting enslaved people from Africa as well as the enslavement and trafficking of people they encountered across Asia. Cape Verde, an archipelago off the coast of West Africa settled by the Portuguese empire in the 1400s, was the first European settlement in the tropics and was positioned specifically to facilitate the Atlantic slave trade. We must acknowledge this history that resulted in the unique spices and products used in Portuguese cuisine; these goods were not native to Portugal and their wealth and power were not an innocently acquired fact of history.

A few weeks ago, my partner and I stumbled on a crowded festival at the park up the street to celebrate Cape Verdeans. It was my first time learning about the country and its sizeable diaspora here in Providence. I loved seeing their culture and history celebrated on such a large scale, separate and distinct from Portuguese culture. Clearly, we’ve still got to learn, but it has been fascinating to get to know this slice of history alongside getting to know a new city. I will probably be adding more to this post as I find more restaurants and markets in the future; if you have a favorite Portuguese dish or a recommendation for a shop or restaurant we should try, drop it below!