Eating Out in Portugal and Brazil with Food Allergies
Portugal and Brazil share a language but not a menu, and each has its own allergy traps. Portuguese cooking leans on seafood, eggs and almonds: arroz de marisco and cataplana are shellfish stews, pastel de nata is egg custard in wheat pastry, and the Algarve’s traditional sweets are made from almond paste. Brazil adds peanuts and cashews to everything from street snacks to sauces.
The words differ too. Shellfish is “marisco” in Lisbon and “frutos do mar” in São Paulo; sesame is “sésamo” in Portugal and “gergelim” in Brazil. Our Portuguese card prints both where the two countries differ (Marisco/Frutos do mar, Sésamo/Gergelim) and keeps its sentences in wording both read naturally, so the same card works in Porto and in Rio.
Staff in tourist areas often speak some English, but the kitchen may not. A written card in Portuguese gets past the language gap and spells out the cross-contact rules — separate pans, clean surfaces, no shared fryer oil — that a quick verbal request usually skips.
Common Allergen Risks in Portuguese and Brazilian Food
Peanut and cashew sauces (Brazil)
Vatapá and caruru — the Bahian stews served with acarajé — are thickened with ground peanuts and cashews and cooked in dendê palm oil. Paçoca and pé-de-moleque, sold everywhere, are peanut sweets.
Shellfish stews and rice (Portugal)
Arroz de marisco, cataplana and açorda de marisco combine clams, prawns and crab. In Brazil, moqueca is a fish or shrimp stew in coconut milk.
Almonds in sweets (Portugal)
Algarve marzipan sweets (doces de amêndoa), toucinho do céu and many convent desserts are built on almond. Ask before ordering any traditional dessert.
Egg and dairy in pastries and bread
Pastel de nata is egg-yolk custard in wheat pastry. Pão de queijo in Brazil is gluten-free but made with cheese, milk and eggs.
How to Create Your Portuguese Allergy Card
Select your allergens
Peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish are pre-selected — the three biggest risks across Portuguese and Brazilian menus. Change them to match your own list.
Keep Portuguese as the card language
The card prints Portuguese for the kitchen with your English underneath, using both the Portugal and Brazil terms where they differ.
Set your cross-contact rule
Choose whether shared pans and fryer oil are acceptable. Fried snacks (salgados, pastéis) usually share one fryer.
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Eating Safely in Portugal and Brazil
- Brazil, Bahia: acarajé, vatapá and caruru contain peanut, cashew and dried shrimp. With a peanut, tree nut or shellfish allergy, skip Bahian street food unless the vendor can confirm every ingredient.
- Brazil, everywhere: paçoca, pé-de-moleque and amendoim cozido (boiled peanuts) are sold at beaches, bakeries and festas juninas. Brazil nuts (castanha-do-pará) and cashews (castanha de caju) also turn up in cakes, granola and farofa.
- Portugal: seafood is the default in coastal restaurants. Arroz de marisco, cataplana and caldeirada often share one seafood stock — ask about the base even when ordering fish or chicken.
- Portugal, desserts: the Algarve is known for almond sweets, and many convent desserts use almond flour. Pastelarias rarely label ingredients, so show the card before ordering.
- Fried food: salgados (coxinha, rissóis, pastéis) and petiscos are usually fried in one shared oil. If shared fryer oil is off-limits for you, set that on the card.
- Emergencies: dial 112 in Portugal and 192 (SAMU) in Brazil.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I say “I have a peanut allergy” in Portuguese?
Is European Portuguese different from Brazilian Portuguese for allergies?
Which Brazilian dishes are risky for peanut and tree nut allergies?
Is the Portuguese allergy card free?
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