GLOSSARY
Bacalhau - Created by Medieval sailors as a way to preserve the plentiful fish they harvested off Newfoundland, bacalhau (dried, salted cod) perhaps embodies the melancholic nostalgia of the Portuguese character better than any other food. It's now imported from Norway, making it scarce and expensive. Yet o fiel amigo ("faithful friend"), as the Portuguese call bacalhau, remains one of the country's most beloved delicacies, starring in more local recipes than there are days in the year. Fritters of the flaked cod and potatoes are a popular hors d'oeuvre. Bacalhau � br�s is a substantial dish that includes eggs and fried potatoes. One innovative new version combines the dried fish with Quiejo da Serra (see below), baked under a phyllo crust. When in Lisbon, head to the chic Casa do Bacalhau to sample your way through Portugal's regional variations.

Couvert - At most restaurants in Portugal, the meal begins as soon as you sit down, with small snacks that are served to take the edge off your appetite. Offerings can include tuna spread, p�t�, olives, little rounds of cheese, and fried codfish balls, along with fresh bread and butter. You're billed (prices are usually reasonable) only for what you eat, and can have a substantial appetizer course this way if you choose.

P�o - A country of frugal cooks and skilled bakers, Portugal has produced an array of rustic loaves � from p�o, the ubiquitous crusty-chewy, wheat-flour bread, to broa, a rough, moist cornbread � and plenty of innovative ways to use up the leftovers. A�orda is a soupy bread and egg mixture, flavored with seafood broth or even just garlic and fresh cilantro. Migas are dryer and heartier, combining meat, bread, and drippings. Sopa seca is a broth-moistened casserole of shredded meat, bread, and vegetables. Comforting, sustaining, and delicious, these savory bread-pudding-like foods remain popular even as more luxurious fare becomes available. The highly regarded Lisbon restaurant Pap'A�orda has made a name for itself by exalting and preserving these traditional recipes in dishes like a�orda real, a mix of bread, prawns, and lobster.

Peixe - Seafood naturally plays a large role in the cooking of a country surrounded by so much water. Most seaside areas offer fresh, locally caught fish such as sweet grilled sardines, or stewed combinations of fish and shellfish like the popular caldeirada, flavored with onions, garlic, and tomatoes. If you're in Portugal in early spring, seek out lampreia (eel), a Northern delicacy.

Porco - Pigs in Portugal's Alentejo (southern region) root for acorns, which gives their meat a rich sweetness, while those in the north, destined for the prosciutto-like presunto, are fed chestnuts and cooked corn and potatoes. All of Portugal's pork products, from smoked hams and bacon to fresh pork chops and savory sausages, are rich and sublimely flavorful.

Queijo - While Portugal is too hardscrabble for serious cattle ranching, sheep and goats provide a good source of wool, milk, and meat. Though competition is stiff, Quiejo da Serra, a rich round of sheep's milk cheese belted with cloth to hold in its ripe, bulging contents, is the queen of Portugal's cheeses, arguably worth its steep price. For a simple, heavenly treat, slice off the top of a wheel of good Quiejo da Serra and spread the fonduelike contents on bread, accompanied by quince preserves (marmelada). Other good sheep cheeses are Evora, a creamy variety that firms and sharpens as it ages, and Serpa, a nutty, paprika-rubbed version. Cabreiro is a popular fresh, slightly salty goat cheese.

Sweet Teeth - Sugar has a place of honor in Portuguese cooking, dating back to its cultivation in colonial Brazil, where it flourished and was shipped back to the mother country in great abundance. Portugal's sinfully rich egg yolk treats, however, have an even earlier provenance, having been introduced during the eighth-century Moorish occupation. Portuguese nuns kept these sweet traditions alive, and the array of their inventions is staggering. Popular recipes include ovos moles, egg-shaped rounds of yolks and rice flour; barrigas de freira ("nuns' tummies"), mounds of yolk, breadcrumbs, and cinnamon; and fios de ovos, sugar-poached yolk strands.

� Zoe Singer