In Portugal, soup isn’t just a starter—it’s a true institution. Found on every table from lunch to dinner, it embodies both conviviality and the rustic simplicity of home cooking. Every region has its signature recipe, handed down through centuries of tradition.
And to enjoy them as in Portugal, nothing beats clay, ceramic or stoneware tureens. They retain heat, let you serve from the center of the table, and add the handmade charm that turns a meal into an authentic moment.
Caldo Verde, the soul of Northern Portugal
Caldo Verde is arguably Portugal’s most famous and most loved soup. Originating in Minho, in the north, it is both simple and comforting.
Once considered a peasant soup, today it’s served in top restaurants as well as at popular festivals—especially during the São João celebrations in Porto.
Caldo Verde Recipe (serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 1 kg potatoes
- 200 g Portuguese chouriço
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 200 g Portuguese cabbage (couve galega), finely shredded
- Olive oil, salt, pepper
Method:
- Cook the potatoes, onion and garlic in salted water.
- Blend until you get a smooth, creamy base.
- Add the finely shredded greens; cook a few minutes so they stay slightly crisp.
- Serve in a ceramic or stoneware tureen, garnish with a few slices of chouriço and a drizzle of olive oil.
Service
Served steaming in a handcrafted tureen, Caldo Verde becomes a true sharing dish—the symbol of northern Portuguese cooking.
Sopa da Pedra, the legendary soup
If Caldo Verde is the icon, Sopa da Pedra (literally “stone soup”) is surely the most legendary Portuguese soup. From Almeirim in the Ribatejo, it’s inseparable from the tale of a mendicant monk.
The story: the monk’s soup
The legend tells of a hungry monk who asked villagers for ingredients to make a soup. As each refused to share, he announced he would make a soup… with a stone! Curious, they watched him heat water with his stone.
Little by little, he suggested the soup would be better with beans… then some vegetables… then a bit of pork, some chouriço… Everyone contributed, and the soup became rich and delicious. Thus was born Sopa da Pedra—a symbol of solidarity and generosity.
Sopa da Pedra Recipe (serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 500 g dried red beans
- 300 g salted pork belly
- 300 g pork shank
- 1 pig’s ear (optional but traditional)
- 1 Portuguese chouriço
- 1 morcela (blood sausage)
- 1 farinheira (flour sausage)
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 carrots
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt, pepper, fresh cilantro
Method:
- Soak the beans overnight, then cook until tender.
- In a large pot, add the pork cuts (belly, shank, ear) with carrots, onion and bay leaf. Cover with water and simmer 1½ hours.
- Add the whole sausages (chouriço, morcela, farinheira) and cook 30 minutes more.
- Stir in the cooked beans and simmer gently so the flavors meld.
- Serve in a hot clay tureen; finish with chopped fresh cilantro.
As tradition has it, some place a clean little stone at the bottom of the tureen to recall the legend.
Other must-try Portuguese soups
- Sopa de Peixe: a fragrant fish soup typical of coastal regions.
- Açorda Alentejana: a rustic bread soup with garlic, cilantro and a poached egg—an Alentejo classic.
- Canja de Galinha: a chicken broth with rice, served for special occasions or as the ultimate comfort soup.
Handcrafted tureens: the art of serving, Portuguese-style
In Portugal, soup isn’t served in just any vessel. The tureen is a centerpiece of the table:
- Clay keeps soup hot and adds rustic charm.
- Glazed ceramic delights with color and decorative motifs.
- Stoneware blends contemporary elegance with durability.
From the gentle comfort of Caldo Verde to the generosity of Sopa da Pedra—and including coastal fish soups and the bread soups of Alentejo—Portuguese soups tell the story of a people devoted to simplicity, sharing and authentic flavor.
Served in beautiful clay, ceramic or stoneware tureens, they take on another dimension: the artisanal Portuguese tradition, passed down from generation to generation.
In the Luisa Paixão collection, you’ll find handcrafted Portuguese tureens to suit every kitchen style—from the most traditional to the most modern.