One of the things in which Portuguese people take great delight is fruits. You can choose from a huge variety of fresh fruit varieties in every season, and they are always of the highest calibre. Some can be a tasty addition to your scrumptious and flavorful Portuguese cuisine.

The most popular fruits in Portugal at various seasons of the year are listed below. Some of these might be familiar to you already. However, Portugal’s geographical characteristics are what give these fruits their distinctive delicious flavor. Let’s begin!

 

Maca (Apples)

The Maç de Alcobaça, or apple of Alcobaça, is a national treasure and a blessing to the people of Portugal. These apples have a tinge of pineapple flavor and are sweet and beautifully fragrant. The extremely delicious apples can be consumed or juiced.

You can also find different varieties of apples, such as Maç Bravo de Esmolfe, which are green apples with a potent aroma, in addition to Maç de Alcobaça. Maç Riscadinha de Palmela apples are another variety; they have lovely pale-colored skin.

Apples are used by the natives in several traditional Portuguese meals in addition to the fruit itself. Baked apples (Maç Assada) with Port wine and cinnamon are one of Portugal’s most well-known apple sweets. It is a simple dessert that is served in many Portuguese restaurants.

 

Pineapple

The fruit was found during Brazil’s colonial era by the Portuguese, who then brought it to the Azores islands, a Portuguese territory, where they began cultivating it. Since then, Portugal has come to be known for its pineapples.

 

Pineapples are grown and consumed year-round in greenhouses by people all across Portugal. There are roughly 6000 greenhouses growing pineapples on the island of San Miguel alone. The ripest fruits from each crop typically take roughly two years to mature.

 

These pineapples are renowned for their distinctive appearance, which includes tiny spikes that create a tiny crown for the fruit. The flavor is also something to pay attention to because it is bursting with irresistible sweetness and fragrance.

 

Oranges

Oranges are produced and consumed all year long in Portugal. In Portugal, it is actually the second fruit that is produced the most after apples. Portugal does, however, have several orange kinds that are available throughout the middle and end of the season.

In Portugal, Dalmau and Newhall oranges are available beginning in mid-autumn. These oranges have a pale color and are quite juicy. The Dalmau oranges have a delicate, sweet flavor. It’s a fun fact that Newhall oranges are also known as Navel oranges.

 

Portugal’s oranges used to be exceedingly expensive and a sign of excess. In his well-known play The Miser, the famed French playwright Molière alluded to such a position. This makes sense considering how sweet and juicy Portuguese oranges are. 

 

When visiting Portugal, you can find a variety of orange fruits there. Asking the locals is the finest advice for navigating these orange trees and selecting the best ones for you.

 

Kiwis

Because of the climatic and soil characteristics of the Iberian nation of Portugal, kiwi fruits grown there are actually sweeter than those grown elsewhere. In Portugal, kiwis are also harvested later in the season, which makes them riper and sweeter.

Amazingly, the Portuguese made this fruit the most frequently grown and consumed fruit in their nation very rapidly after acquiring it. Portugal is fourth in terms of kiwi output among the nations of Europe.

 

Since its introduction in the 1980s, Hayward kiwis have been the most common variety in Portugal. Locals have since used kiwi in many of their daily meals. This fruit’s perfect balance of softness and firmness and its balanced acidity and sweetness are the reasons why.

 

Figs

The hot, dry environment of Portugal makes it the perfect place to cultivate figs. The majority of the nation’s fig fruits originate in particular from the Algarve’s most southern region.

The Portuguese people who live nearby claim that this fruit makes them nostalgic for the holidays, when they would spend all day in the backyard of their grandparents. They would pick the tastiest and prettiest-looking figs they could find there by scaling the fruit-filled trees.

 

Because figs can only be consumed three days after being harvested and the trees only produce fruit for around five months, producing figs can be dangerous business. Figs are a costly variety of fruit as a result. People still relish snacking on this delicious fruit here, nevertheless.

 

Melons

The Alentejo region produces the sweetest melons; where there is sunshine, there is sweetness.The area receives plenty of sunlight, which is ideal for the growth of sweet and juicy melons. The most typical approach to consume this fruit is to simply bite into it or to combine it with some cured gammon for a quick meal.

The most popular way to eat this fruit is to cut it into lengths and enthusiastically eat it on the beach. It is a perfect combination to contrast the rich and salty flavour of the cured gammon with the sweet and fresh flavor of the melon.

 

Eating melons is a summertime treat in Portugal. However, picking melons in Portugal is similar to gambling. Melons that are ripe and delicious can be a jackpot find or a bland and tasteless disappointment.

 

Watermelons

Watermelons are primarily grown in the central and southern Portuguese regions of Alentejo and Ribatejo. The luscious fruit is the ideal summer treat because it is low in calories. Portuguese watermelons are redder and have more antioxidants, which are good for your health.

Supermarkets, community events, and weekend markets are all great places to find this tasty summer produce. When visiting Portugal in the summer, be sure to pick up some and have a taste. Those thirst-quenching watermelons taste especially delicious in this scorching heat.

 

Conclusion

Every season has its own charm that enables us to incorporate wholesome, fresh food into our daily diets while promoting regional agriculture and preserving the environment.

Health and flavor are ensured by stocking a pantry with regional and seasonal foods. We gave you a list of your preferred fruits as a result. Enjoy your time!