TAP Air Portugal is a Portuguese airline offering flights across Europe and into Africa, North America, the Middle East, and South America. Portugal is known for its excellent cuisine, and now TAP Air Portugal is dishing out a new signature menu in partnership with six extra top-flight chefs from across the country. TAP prioritizes Portuguese products and traditional desserts, enabling passengers to sample Portuguese cuisine even when they are transiting through. This is not the first time TAP has introduced new meals in Business Class.

Celebrating Portugal's gastronomy

Business class passengers flying with TAP Air Portugal will now be able to enjoy delectable Portuguese cuisine prepared by hand-picked Portuguese chefs, the airline said in an email to Simple Flying. The new chefs are Arnaldo Azevedo, André Cruz, Rodrigo Castelo, Carlos Afonso, Alexandre Silva, and Rui Paula. The effort is part of the airline's Local Stars initiative and is in partnership with The Art of Tasting Portugal. The Art of Tasting Portugal aims to promote Portuguese gastronomy by organizing experiences focused on Portuguese gastronomy and mapping the culinary essence of each region of Portugal.

The idea is that premium passengers on long-haul flights will be able to explore Portugal's fantastic regional gastronomy from 40,000 feet up. TAP hopes to contribute to promoting Portugal's cuisine to the world. Portugal sits on the Atlantic coast but is often considered a Mediterranean country. Portuguese cuisine has had strong French and Mediterranean influences, along with influences from Portugal's centuries of spice trading with the East Indies, Africa, and the Americas.

The new in-flight menu will include Maronesa Beef, Confit Codfish, Chickpea and Green Sauce Salad, and a range of sweet treats, according to a TAP Air Portugal statement. The dishes have been selected to be diverse and be some of the best ambassadors of their respective Portuguese regions. Each new chef is to produce an exclusive menu from their home region in Portugal (including signature ingredients). Return customers can enjoy a series of new menus, updated every month (so there will be no need to try the same meal twice).

Who is eligible?

Premium customers flying on TAP's Business Class long-haul flights will be able to enjoy these quintessential Portuguese dishes over the next 12 months. The menu will be available between now and April 2025. TAP states its menus are updated regularly with fresh ingredients that have been sustainably sourced. The menus also include a selection of exclusively Portuguese wines and Portuguese porcelain dinnerware. TAP's long-haul Business Class seating also features lie-flat seats, so passengers can lay back and sleep after a hearty meal.

TAP offers over 1,230 flights weekly and operates one of the world's youngest fleets (including Airbus A320neo, A321neo, A321LR, and A330neo). According to Airline Ratings, TAP Air Portugal has an exemplary safety rating, scoring seven stars out of seven. TAP has recently added another 10 flights to North America, providing even more links between the United States and Portugal.