The Portuguese Stew, much like the Açorda, is one of the most typical - and simple - Portuguese dishes. Considered part of the Portuguese legacy, this stew has origins in the Beira region of Portugal, and is usually made up of different meats and vegetables, with exact compositions varying by region.
However, the most common ingredients are beef shin, pork, assorted offal, chicken or smoked sausages, served with carrots, rice, turnips, potatoes and cabbage, and garnished with olive oil and accompanied by a hearty red wine. It's quite a heavy dish, so it's best consumed at lunch around wintertime - one of the best comfort foods around. Also very popular is the "Cozido Soup" - and for many the favourite part of the cozido - made from the sauces of the many meats that went into the cozido itself, accompanied by bread, rice or pasta, beans and peppermint.
It'll almost certainly be one of the favourite dishes of any Portuguese person you talk to, as it always brings around great childhood memories of dining with the whole family. You'll usually find the best ones in the most typical Portuguese restaurants, like Solar dos Presuntos - the less presumptuous, the better!
