Today you are going to grab your reusable shopping bags, a quarter, a grocery cart, your grocery list and come shopping with me! This is Portugal life ~ grocery shopping!
In some ways grocery shopping is similar to how it is in the States. Then in other ways it is VERY different.
I’m going to highlight the differences for you today and show you a peek into a trip to one of the large grocery chains here. I usually end up here about once a week. I do a combination of shopping – small stores, our commissary, larger stores like this one, and the Farmers Market.
This store I’m showing today is a grocery store that is attached to the mall. So yes, you get a cart and then you roll your cart through the mall. And talk about one stop shopping, you can stop and get a Starbucks, put money on your phone, pay your cable bill, drop off dry cleaning, get a new pair of shoes, visit the vet, get lunch, have your car washed and get your eyebrows done, all in one trip. In some ways Portugal is advanced, in other ways not.so.much.
Carts
First things first – you HAVE to have a coin with you in order to use a cart. Either a 50 cent euro, a one euro or I’ve found an American quarter will also work. OR there are also these plastic tokens that work to (shown above). The cool thing is that this minimizes car dings and I suppose people from stealing carts, the bad thing is that when you don’t have a coin or token with you, it is really frustrating! (You do get the coin back when you return the cart, the key on the chain pops the coin back out upon return.)
The other point I need to make is that these carts are horrible. They do not have the power steering of “normal” carts. It feels as if you are going to injure your knee just trying to push the cart. #firstworldproblem #bestworkoutever
Produce
The produce in Portugal is fantastic. Very fresh, affordable and always a nice variety. At this particular store you weigh all of your produce and put a sticker on the bag or item. It’s important to do this or you can’t check out! Every variety has a number and you just key the number into this machine, while the produce item is on the scale, and out spits a label.
I need to also mention that these photos are not great quality. I was secretly snapping them on my phone. When I say secretly, I mean it. Almost every aisle had an employee working. I had never noticed that the store had so much staff! Not wanting to draw any attention to myself I was trying to do it all on the down low.
Sacks
You need to carry grocery sacks with you! Most stores charge per plastic bag. So I keep a nice stash of reusable bags in my car at all times. Portugal is concerned about the environment. High fives to Portugal!
Take a Number
Everywhere you go – for the most part – you grab a ticket number. Need something at the deli counter? You grab a number. Going to pay your cable bill? You grab a number.
Portugal likes ticket number organization. I like it because sometime Europeans have a different view of lines (what I would call, a more aggressive close standing philosophy) so the number system just helps everyone to get along better. The only challenge for someone like me (who speaks little Portuguese) is to know which category I need a number for, because there are of course options!
Meat & Seafood
Nothing can give you the idea of the smells you smell while shopping in the grocery stores here. NOTHING. This below is salted cod. Every single grocery store has stacks of these. And let’s just say they do have a unique smell.
“Bacalhau dishes are common in Portugal and Galicia, in the northwest of Spain, also common in former Portuguese colonies like Cape Verde, Angola, Macau, Brazil, and Goa. There are said to be over 1000 recipes in Portugal alone and it can be considered the iconic ingredient of Portuguese cuisine (but curiously the only fish that is not consumed fresh in this fish-loving nation). It is often cooked on social occasions and is the Portuguese traditional Christmas dinner in some parts of Portugal.” (source – Wikipedia)
It’s actually pretty good, if you like fish. This is the food that Portugal is known for. I think whenever you cook with enough olive oil anything can taste good, which is how I would describe this fish. We had it for our Christmas dinner this year, the creamy version and it was really good, because of the cream.
Now above you have rabbit. Yes, I just typed rabbit. I am sharing a very tame picture. I’ve never bought it. Here’s what I have to say about the meat and seafood in Europe. They are more open. And when I say open I mean when you walk into a store you see the butcher actually cutting, pounding and/or sawing the meat (like a few inches away from you), you see a pig leg out in the open ready to be sliced for bacon and I even was walking into a smaller store one day and the butcher truck was right by the entrance – with things hanging out in there. When I say hanging, that is exactly what I mean.
Let’s just say I had never seen that before. Generally we Americans are not as in touch with where our food comes from. So, this has been a bit of an eye opener for all of us. Now I don’t really notice it as much, and honestly after going to Morocco, nothing will probably shock me at this point.
The seafood is amazing in Portugal. In fact being close to the sea we are spoiled. Good seafood is everywhere! I’ve become a fan of octupus, I know I’m surprised too!
Dairy
Europe has boxed milk. In fact boxed milk is the primary way that Europeans drink milk. They do sell some refrigerated milk too, but it is a very small section compared to the entire aisle for the boxed milk. We still opt for the refrigerated milk.
If you are curious about why – I’ll direct you HERE, Lisa explains the reason for boxed milk and what the differences are.
Yogurt is a BIG deal. Like there are a solid four aisles of yogurt at this particular store. Just yogurt!
And the eggs. I’ve mentioned before that the eggs are not refrigerated. Again, it’s different. Mainly because the eggs are never refrigerated so they are sold off the aisle and then at home we just keep them in a large bowl next to our stove. The rule is once refrigerated always refrigerate.
Wine
Portugal is known for their fabulous wine. You can pick up a very inexpensive but great tasting wine for only a few euros. There is an abundance of varieties, as you can see here. Notice the price point. #twobuckchuckeverywhere
Check Out
Here is where there is some serious advance technology going down. One, they have self check out, two they have regular check out and three they have a self scanner system.
My friend (who I dragged along with me to snap these photos, thanks Jill!) and I tested this out. We had to sign up with our store cards, grab a scanner, scan each item that we wanted to buy, and place in our cart. Upon checkout the scanner communicated with the register and then all we had to do was pay the bill. How cool is that?
There were of course a few challenges with them, because what technology is seamless? But it was a great option.
They have a great system at checkout that allows for expecting moms, moms with littles and the elderly to get a better place in line. You also can carry a store card with you and scan at the checkout. The card saves up your savings and then will apply it towards a future purchase.
And at the checkout lines you have a different selection.
I miss seeing the People magazines. They do sell gum and candy though, so it’s not all bad!
So that’s a trip with me to the grocery store. I have the same struggles, I can’t always find what I want and I usually forget a thing or two. But we are blessed with wonderful grocery shopping here in Portugal and we’ve learned a lot about the culture by stepping into the European way of cooking and eating.
TELL ME: What time of day do you prefer to shop for your groceries?
