Polvo à Lagareiro – The Portuguese Octopus Dish that Changed My Trip
I am a young Indian woman, travelling solo in Portugal with just a backpack, one packing cube of clothes, a universal adapter, and a notebook full of food names I wanted to try.
But no matter what I tasted – francesinha in Porto, cataplana in Algarve, feijoada in the north, duck rice in Coimbra – nothing shocked my soul more than Polvo à Lagareiro.
This was the dish that made me close my eyes and whisper – Portugal cooks with love, not style.


