Lisboeta: Recipes from Portugal's City of Light

by Nuno Mendes

Lisbon is known as Portugal's 'City of Light', its beautiful, tiled buildings and cobbled streets illuminated by the reflections of the nearby waters. It is also one of the great undiscovered culinary centres of Europe. Internationally renowned chef Nuno Mendes is a 'Lisboeta' (native of Lisbon) and in this groundbreaking cookbook, he invites you to experience his favourite places, and the incredible food you will discover there.

Sharing recipes inspired by the dishes that he loves, Nuno takes you through a typical day in Lisbon. Here you will discover the secrets to the most delicious pastéis de nata, the custard tarts for which Lisbon is so famous, and bolas de Berlim, fluffy doughnuts stuffed with custard that are sold on the beach. For lunch you might sample some typical seafood, like squid sizzling in a pan with garlic and coriander, or grilled sardines with a roasted green pepper salad. And as night draws in, Nuno offers his recipes for rich and warming dishes like slow-baked lamb chanfana and roasted orange-rub pork belly with fennel – which may even be followed with a cheeky prego sandwich after dinner.
These are the heart-warming, vibrant dishes of a city with a modern, bustling food scene that is nevertheless steeped in centuries-old traditions. Nuno's portraits of Lisbon's idiosyncrasies are threaded through the pages: impromptu sardine grills, endless snacking and city-wide street carnivals. With luminous photography shot on location, this book will bring to life Portugal's magnificent capital city and its fabulous cuisine.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Portugal, Travel, Food and Drink

579 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2017

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Cookbooks in the Time of Covid - a book that shouldn't be written.

While I probably wouldn't cook many of these at home, they look and sound delicious. It also is a great help in determining which local Portuguese restaurants are the real deal.

In addition to the recipes, there's a fair amount of details on the recent evolution of the Lisbon dining scene and Portugal in general, along with photos of notable locations in Lisbon along with the food. A better than average cookbook.

[Sanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how the writer explained Lisbon’s food scene. Bit sad though that almost 90% of all recipes included either meat or fish. The writer writes about how using a certain type of fish nets it is not good for the environment. How about eating fish or meat? It’s 2020 - a larger selection of vegetarian or vegan dishes would be justified.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful journey. Gave me a true "taste" of Portugal. Likely won't make many of the dishes, but I can't wait to visit. The Gazetteer of cafes, drinking spots, etc., in the back of the book will be a useful guide to Lisbon.

[Aaron Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably more helpful as a food guide to Lisbon than as a cookbook but I learned a lot about that city.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, I am the first person to admit that I have incredibly low patience for any kind of anecdotal story-time in cookbooks. Nearly every recipe I've ever looked up online is started with frustrated scrolling and a "where is the ressipy" but everything about this cookbook is so beautiful, I literally read every word.

EVERY WORD.

I cannot overstate how beautiful it is? From the high-gloss photos, the touching, nostalgic memories paired with every dish, the honestly fascinating use of cilantro and eggs... I could go on. Even the texture of the pages is incredible.

If I was to ever to do a Julie & Julia-esque cooking adventure following every recipe in a book, it would be this one.

[Justyna Walulik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I love cookbooks with essays about the country and culture, with nice photos, a variety of both classical and modern recipes and travelling tips. And this book is exactly like that. I love just going through cookbooks once in a while and this one serves the purpose perfectly.
Plus it's big, thick and looks good on a shelf.

[Andrew Tweeddale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book as a present, as I have always enjoyed eating at Nuno Mendes restaurants from Viajante to Taberna do Mercado, where he launched this book. I tried a few recipes and they were OK but the book then languished on my bookshelf for 5 years. I recently came back to it, as I had a little more time to cook. The fish soups and mackerel in melting tomatoes are sublime and there is an array of other dishes which you should try. This book will not be for everyone, especially vegans and vegetarians but if you want a cookbook which gives you an authentic taste of Portugal, then this is a must.
There are also some lovely stories.
I nearly gave it a 5 star but the index is terrible and there were a few recipes which were just ok.

[Colton Brydges · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best cookbooks I've read in a long time. It really gives a great sense of place, it provides a really fascinating insight into many aspects of Portuguese food culture and the city of Lisbon. Gorgeous looking recipes, most of which are very accessible. I also appreciate the author's efforts to include vegetable-centric dishes in spite of this not being a feature of Portuguese cuisine.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recipes and photos of octopus lure me in. But wow, My Lisbon is a wonderful journey thru Portugal via food and stories. Beautiful photos, easy to follow recipes, interesting history and daily routines. What a delight!

[Anjalica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book. This is not your ordinary cookbook, this book has history that goes with it and that makes it more interesting. Love the recipes with the history and love of the people of Portugal.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love everything about this book from the recipes to the stories to the pictures!

[Dray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice book to read. besides recipes it has small sections on Lisbon life and customs so the book comes across almost as a travel guide.

[Jason Hebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal read and collection of recipes; I can't wait to cook from it!

[Nino Bos · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice concept cookbook. Unfortunately a lot of the ingredients are expensive in my region. The dishes I did make where very lovely and summery

[Jan Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love cook books and downloaded several recently, taking advantage of a monthly Kindle book offer. This one though has most inspired me to cook from it. I've made the custard tarts, and old-style onion soup, both utterly delicious and very doable. I'm looking forward to marinated pork with red pepper paste.

I love reading the back stories to the recipes, and about Lisbon and its food culture too.

As an ebook it's not great though, it would be much improved by a linked list of recipes at the start of each chapter. I needed to use the Goto function to move between chapters, then page through. There is a full recipe list though at the back in both English and Portuguese. Mouthwatering photos of the food accompany each dish.

Recommended.

[roxi Net · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book since I wasn't familiar with Portuguese food in general. The recipes have ingredients that are easy to find, and have lovely personal stories to go along. The author's love of food and country is obvious. I had hoped for numbered instructions (just my preference), but they are still easy to follow. The photos are beautiful, and I'm super excited to try new recipes from this book (specifically the pasteis).