Indeed the national dish is not to my taste, I'm not even sure what the USA national dish is, however I suspect it probably isn't the best, despite there being very good food available there.
It can be hard to know what to eat and often more importantly where to eat as a tourist, and in Portugal its often (in my experience) the last obvious establishments that are the best (often places you don't even think sell food).
Doubt there is one (some might say apple pie) and the only thing I can think of that unites all the different American cuisines and regional variations is the sandwich.
Italians are quite elitist in their food. It seems like every Italian's live purpose is proving to everyone how good they are at cooking.
Spain/Portuguese food isn't snobbish or fancy, but it's generally good. As a matter of fact I find that the baseline for what is bad in these places is actually quite high.
That is not the case for your average Italian restaurant around the world. Most of them are not that great.
You have not had well cooked octopus unfortunately. And as for other fantastic Portuguese dishes, caldo verde, grilled sardines, chicken piri-piri, are all quite good. That’s just off the top of my head. And although it’s technically a Brazilian cocktail, the caipirinha is a top tier hot weather alcoholic beverage. You should visit Portugal again!
A Georgian feast is like 8 different great dishes, not just Khachapuri. Chakapuli (Lamb & Tarragon stew) or Bazha (walnut sauce) with the way they make chicken… excellent.
You can find Italian restaurants all over the world. Where are all the Portugese restaurants if this cuisine is so brilliant?