Tigela vs. taça
Understanding the difference between tigela and taça depends heavily on geography. While both words relate to vessels for food and drink, their usage for the English concept of a bowl shifts significantly between Brazil and Portugal.
Tigela
A2In Brazil, tigela is the standard, everyday word for a bowl used for cereal, soup, or açaí, regardless of whether it is made of plastic, glass, or ceramic. In Portugal, tigela tends to refer specifically to a traditional, handleless bowl, often made of clay or earthenware, deep in shape, and used for heavy soups or traditional desserts.
Eu gosto de comer cereais numa tigela cheia de leite.
(I like to eat cereals in a bowl full of milk.)
No Brasil, é muito popular pedir açaí na tigela na praia.
(In Brazil, it is very popular to order açaí in a bowl at the beach.)
A avó serviu o caldo verde numa tigela de barro antiga.
(Grandma served the green broth in an old clay bowl.)
Cuidado para não derrubar a tigela de sopa quente.
(Be careful not to drop the bowl of hot soup.)
Taça
A2In Portugal, taça is the generic term for almost any bowl (salad bowl, mixing bowl, plastic bowl) as well as stemmed glasses (wine glass). In Brazil, taça generally implies the object has a foot or a stem; it is used for wine glasses, champagne flutes, or ice cream sundae dishes, but almost never for a simple soup or cereal bowl.
Podes misturar os ovos e a farinha nesta taça grande.
(You can mix the eggs and flour in this large bowl.)
Em Portugal, normalmente comemos a salada numa taça.
(In Portugal, we usually eat salad out of a bowl.)
O garçom trouxe uma taça de vinho tinto para acompanhar o jantar.
(The waiter brought a glass of red wine to go with dinner.)
Vou querer uma taça de sorvete com cobertura de chocolate.
(I will want an ice cream cup with chocolate topping.)
O time de futebol levantou a taça após a vitória.
(The soccer team lifted the cup after the victory.)
Summary
To summarize: In Brazil, use tigela for a food bowl and taça for a stemmed glass (like wine). In Portugal, usage is broader: taça is used for both modern kitchen bowls and glasses, while tigela is reserved for more traditional, deep, or rustic bowls.