Q 01/05

On the night of June 12, Lisbon honours Saint Anthony with street parties and grilled what?

A) Mackerel

B) Sea bream

C) Sardines

D) Swordfish

Answer · why

C) Sardines

Sardines, grilled on street corners and eaten on a slice of bread. The party honours Lisbon-born Saint Anthony, although the city's official patron sa...

Q 02/05

The Portuguese boast a different salt cod recipe for every what?

A) Saint in the calendar

B) Day of the year

C) Village in Portugal

D) Letter of the alphabet

Answer · why

B) Day of the year

Day of the year: the boast is 365 ways to cook it, all for a catch that has never swum in Portuguese waters. Some cookbooks push the claim past a thou...

Q 03/05

What does 'fiel amigo', Portugal's affectionate nickname for salt cod, mean?

A) Fisherman's friend

B) Friend of the poor

C) Faithful friend

D) Fair-weather friend

Answer · why

C) Faithful friend

Faithful friend: salt cod was cheap, kept for months and reached every corner of the country, so ordinary families could always count on it for protei...

Q 04/05

Boiled with potatoes and cabbage, bacalhau is Portugal's traditional supper on which night?

A) New Year's Eve

B) Twelfth Night

C) Shrove Tuesday

D) Christmas Eve

Answer · why

D) Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve: the family supper, the consoada, is plain boiled salt cod drenched in olive oil. The leftovers come back at lunch on Christmas Day as r...

Q 05/05

Which two countries supply most of the cod behind Portugal's bacalhau?

A) Canada and the US

B) Spain and France

C) Iceland and Norway

D) Denmark and Scotland

Answer · why

C) Iceland and Norway

Iceland and Norway: Norway alone supplies well over half of the cod Portugal eats, so the national dish is made almost entirely from imported cod.