Living in Portugal, high-protein food is easy to find once you know where to look: fresh fish, eggs, good beef, cheese, pulses and locally made air-dried beef. If you are an expat trying to keep your protein up, the country has plenty to offer, and biltong is one of the simplest options to carry through a busy day. Here is a practical guide.
Air-dried beef gives you over 60g of protein per 100g, and if you want to understand why that stacks up so well, our guide on whether biltong is healthy breaks down the numbers.
What high-protein foods are easy to find in Portugal?
Portugal makes protein easy. Fresh fish and seafood are everywhere along the coast, bacalhau (salt cod) is a national staple, and eggs, chicken and good beef are all widely available and affordable. Local cheeses and pulses like chickpeas and beans round things out.
The markets and supermarkets are well stocked, so building meals around protein does not take much effort once you know the local names and the best places to shop.
Where does biltong fit for expats?
Biltong fills the gap that fresh food cannot: the moments when you are out, working or travelling and cannot cook. It is air-dried spiced beef made from six ingredients with no sugar, so it is protein you can carry without a fridge or any fuss.
For expats settling into Portuguese life, it is a reliable thing to keep in a bag or a drawer. When lunch runs late or a meeting overruns, a pack keeps you going with real food rather than something sweet.
How much protein does biltong give you?
Lean biltong delivers over 60g of protein per 100g, with about 3g of carbs and no sugar. That is a strong ratio for something you can eat one-handed. One pack is a serious contribution to your protein for the day with no cooking involved.
We make ours in three flavours, Lean, Garlic and Piri Piri, all from the same clean six-ingredient base, so the nutrition stays consistent whichever you choose.
What about eating protein on the go?
This is where dried beef shines. Fresh chicken or fish needs a fridge and a plan, while biltong is shelf-stable and ready when you are. Keep some in your bag, your car or your desk drawer and you always have protein to hand.
It is ideal for travel around Portugal too, on trains, hikes and long drives, where proper food is not always easy to find and you want something better than a sweet bar.
Are there local Portuguese high-protein staples worth knowing?
Yes. Bacalhau is the obvious one, eaten dozens of ways and rich in protein. Grilled sardines in summer, frango (chicken), and hearty bean stews all pull their weight, and eggs are cheap and everywhere. Tuna, both fresh and tinned, is easy to find and a quick way to lift the protein in any meal.
Pair those home-cooked staples with air-dried beef for the times you are out, and you have your protein covered whether you are at the table or on the move.
How do you build a high-protein day as an expat?
Start with eggs or leftover fish at breakfast, lean on the excellent local fish and meat at lunch and dinner, and use biltong to plug the gaps in between. That structure works with the Portuguese day rather than against it, and it does not ask you to hunt down imported products or special foods.
The point is not to overhaul how you eat but to be deliberate about protein at each meal and to carry something for when plans change. With good local ingredients and a pack of air-dried beef in your bag, hitting your protein in Portugal is genuinely easy.
Why do expats often struggle to hit their protein at first?
Moving country resets your routines. The brands you knew are gone, meal times shift later, and the quick high-protein options you relied on back home are not on the shelf in the same form. It is easy to drift into bread, pastries and coffee simply because they are everywhere and familiar, and protein slips down the list.
The fix is to learn the local staples and keep a reliable standby for the in-between moments. Once you know your fishmonger and your butcher, and you have air-dried beef in the bag for busy days, the problem tends to solve itself. It is a settling-in issue more than a supply one.
Is biltong a good option for expats new to Portugal?
It is one of the easier wins. You do not need to cook it, store it cold or plan around it, and it is made right here in Sintra rather than shipped in from abroad. For someone still finding their feet, that simplicity matters: it is protein you can rely on while everything else is new.
It also introduces you to something genuinely local. Buying biltong made in Portugal, from Portuguese beef, is a small way of eating like a resident rather than a visitor, and it happens to be very good food while you settle in.
Is it hard to eat high-protein in Portugal?
Not at all. Fish, eggs, beef and pulses are easy to find, and biltong covers you when you cannot cook.
Does biltong need refrigeration?
No. It is air-dried and shelf-stable, which makes it ideal for carrying around.
How much protein is in biltong?
Lean biltong gives you over 60g of protein per 100g, with about 3g of carbs and no sugar.
Can I get biltong delivered in Portugal?
Yes. We ship within Portugal, so you can order online and have it arrive at your door.
Settling into Portugal and want protein you can carry? Shop our biltong and keep some to hand. Packs are 17.50 EUR, with a monthly subscription so you never run out. It is made by hand in Sintra and ship within Portugal.
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