Cakes of Portugal

Useful Information

  Food & Drink in Portugal

Watching your waistline can be a tad difficult in Portugal if you are living in here or just visiting on holiday.

In just about every cafe, bakers and supermarket there are so many tempting, tasty looking cakes (bolos) on offer it can be difficult to say 'não, obrigado'. And after all it would be rude not to try out a few of Portugal's traditional, mouth watering sweet sensations.

And although you think you can resist temptation, it won't be long before you're ordering one or five of the cakes of Portugal.

However so you know what to order we've provided a quick insight into the cakes of Portugal. Where they originated from and what your taste buds should expect when you succumb to one or more of these mouth-watering morsels.

Many of the cakes of Portugal are egg based recipes and originate from inside the walls of monasteries, so recipes do vary up and down the country. And towns are very proud of the confectionary which originated from their

Perhaps the most recognised of Portuguese cakes, the Pastel de Natas is known the world over. Duty free shops in all three international airports in Portugal enable visitors to stock up on these tasty pastry treats.

The pastel de natas are for all intents and purposes a custard tart. However they somehow is more refined in Portugal. The pastry case is wafer thin and provides just enough support to the rich, creamy egg custard inside without being soggy.

Today you can enjoy a coffee within the cafe's historic surroundings, as well as one of the pastels hot from the ovens in the rear of the premises. You can also watch as they enter and exit the ovens via one of the many 'windows' to the small cake factory.

Bolo de Rei (King's Cake) is the traditional Portuguese Christmas cake, which appears in shops and bakery's in mid November (depending upon the region).

Bolo de Rei is a fruit bread essentially which also has pine nuts and is decorated with large chunks of candied citrus fruits.

Although many families continue to make their own Bolo Rei, which is shaped like a Rum Baba, they are in ready

supply in most supermarkets at least two months ahead of time. Much like a British Christmas cake the Bolo de Rei is baked with a surprise. However the traditional 'sixpence' is replaced with a more edible bean in Portugal. Whoever finds the bean has the pleasure of making the cake for the family the following year.

Ovo Moles are a delicacy in the central Portugal town of Aveiro, from where they originate and are practically available at most retail outlets.

These tasty, bite sized treats, which come in a variety of sea-food shapes, are also available throughout the country as well, though normally in the bakery form of a mussel (see picture left).

Rice pastry is made and moulded into a variety of shapes before being pressed shut around a deliciously thick, creamy egg filling.

These large, griddle scone like cakes are not perhaps the most appealing looking of the Portuguese cakes, however they are a taste sensation waiting to happen.

Originating from the convents of Abrantes in central Portugal Tigeladas combine eggs, milk and cinnamon to form a very Moorish 11 o'clock snack, which can be eaten at just about any time of the day (or night).

Although you can purchase Tigeladas from most main-

stream supermarkets and from a variety of bakeries up and down Portugal, to truly experience the mouth watering delights this egg-based sweet has to offer, call into one of the many cafes and/or bakeries in Abrantes, as you (and you're taste buds) won't be disappointed.

Another egg-based delicacy originating from the promontory town of Abrantes in central Portugal is palha, which roughly translated means straw, egg straw.

Palha takes it's name from the thin wires created when the egg yolks and sugar are spun creating straw-like threads which are then popped into paper cases and put out to tempt you to eat them.

In October 2010, baker and cake makers extraordinaire, Manuel Correia and Fernando Correia of the Rossio do Sul pastaleira, Tagide, attempted to get into the

Guinness World Record Books for creating the most palha de Abrantes in one go. Although they managed to whip up 1,770, the record has not appeared in print, but this has not stopped the duo producing hundreds of palhas each week for the local market.