For centuries the gastronomy of the Alentejo was based on the trilogy – bread, wine and olive oil. With these ingredients and the careful use of an extensive array of herbs, a creative and delicious gastronomy developed that has survived to this day. Fruit of circumstance of what the land provided or failed to provide and of the influences of the countless peoples who lived in the Alentejo, the Alentejo cuisine was defined a long time ago and stood out from the rest of Portuguese gastronomy. To the above-mentioned trilogy of ingredients we should add black pig, lamb, game, a wide range of sweets, which are mainly convent-based, and the widespread use of tomato, onion, garlic and pepper, both in cooked dishes and in seasoning for charcuterie.
Herbs, spices and condiments are also widely used, for example pennyroyal, coriander, parsley, oregano, marjoram, cloves and cinnamon.
