Portugal has some of the best tarts, cakes, and sweets in the world. Here’s my 5 favorite.
Without a doubt, the most famous pastry in all of the Portugal is the creamy, crispy Pastel de Nata. The recipe originated in Lisbon‘s Jerónimos Monastery. When the religious orders were abolished in Portugal in the 19th century, the recipe was sold to Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, a bakery where they still crank out Portugal’s characteristic tart.
The Pastel de Nata is a culinary masterpiece. Creamy egg yolk custard is poured into a cup of dough and baked until the top is caramelized. The perfect pastel crust has layer after layer of crispiness, never getting soggy from the custard filling.
Pastéis de Belém is the most famous spot to get your little tart, and they make an amazing version with their well-guarded recipe. Whenever I’m in the Belém neighborhood, I always get one (or more). I also love the pastel de nata at Pastelaria Santo Antonio. A few years ago they won the award for the best pastel de nata in Lisbon. Likes like being called the best pizza in Naples.
It seems every city and town in Portugal has its own pastry. Some aren’t much more than a twist on the more famous Pastel de Nata.
Braga, in northern Portugal, has a pastry called Tibias, delicious fried dough that resembles an éclair. The Tibias is usually filled with cream, custard, jam, or chocolate.
But, there are a couple of differences between the Tibias and it’s more famous French cousin. Tibias dough is normally fluted with ridges so it has more surface area. The Tibias also has a larger variety of fillings including lemon curd, hazelnut, and strawberry cream in addition to the traditional cream filling.
Tibias is often sprinkled with powdered sugar and fancier versions might have fresh fruit and even more cream on top.
Braga’s most famous spot for Tibias is Tíbias de Braga. When you’ve got Tibias in your name, it better be good, and Tíbias de Braga delivers. They have a wide variety with lots of flavor options. I really like the lemon one.
My favorite spot to get Tibias is Ciccoria Caffè. They have a great location right off the Praça da República. Their Tibias are fresh and absolutely scrumptious!
Évora is a city in the Alentejo region. It has a stunning Roman Temple and a chapel decorated with human bones, reminding us that we’re all the same under our skin.
Évora is also an incredible city when it comes to sweets. There are several local delights to sample including Queijada de Évora, Pão de Rala, Serica, and Encharcada.
My favorite in Évora, Queijinho de Ceu, is a sweet almond dough surrounding a soft and creamy egg custard. When I first heard about the Queijinho de Ceu, it was described as marzipan surrounding the egg custard. That didn’t sound too appetizing, but I gave it a go anyway. Turns out the almond dough is more cake-like and not nearly as sweet as marzipan. It’s a can’t miss when visiting Évora.
Pastelaria Conventual Pão de Rala has all the pastries of Évora, including a terrific Queijinho de Ceu.
The Ouriço originated about 100 years ago at Casa das Cavacas (don’t look for it, it’s not there anymore) in Ericeira, a former fishing village on the Atlantic that is now equally famous for its ideal surfing conditions. Almost every bakery in Ericeira has their own version of the sweet treat.
Strangely, Ouriço translates to Urchin. The little muffin shaped pastry doesn’t have the spines or taste of the tube-footed sea creature, but I guess that since we’re right on the ocean, the name is somehow locally appropriate.
Others say the name comes from the word ouriço-caixeiro (hedgehog) a reference to Phoenician colonization of Ericeira and the goddess Astarte who, apparently, liked the little creatures.
Ouriços are made with almond flour, sugar, eggs, and citrus zest. This makes them naturally gluten-free but celiacs should ask about any other flours that may have been added or possible cross-contamination in non gluten-free kitchens.
The biggest difference between Ouriços is they way they’re baked. Longer baking times will yield a crispier more caramelized topping. Shorter baking times will give less crunch. Either way, the interior of the Ouriço should be rich and moist.
My favorite spot for Ouriços is Casa da Fernanda. The top is super crispy and caramelized. They also have the ideal spot right across from the ocean and sitting at a table outside is a delight. Casa Gama is another great place for Ouriços.
Viana do Castelo is a delightful small city on the coast in northern Portugal. Their contribution to the pastry world is the Torta de Viana. The sweet treat can trace its roots to the Monastery of Vila do Conde, a monastery about 25 miles south of Viana and famous for their skills with sweets. Some nuns came to Viana’s Convent of Santa Ana. There, 500 years ago, they created the first Torta de Viana.
The cake is a thin sponge cake slathered with egg custard and rolled up. It is then sliced and served, often with a topping of powdered sugar and/or cinnamon. One delicious variation is to take the slice and dunk it in chocolate. You can get this version at Manuel Natário, one of my favorite old-school bakeries in Viana.
If you follow my blog or are familiar with Portuguese sweets, the Torta de Viana may sound familiar in its ingredients and preparation. The delicious Torta de Azeitão from the Setubal region is similar. I’ve written about this yummy cake and did a taste test video, as well.
If you want to visit the Convent of Santa Ana to pay tribute to the nuns who invented this delicious cake, it now goes by the name Convento da Caridade and functions as a nursing home. However, the church is open.
Honestly, this list could easily be expanded to ten, twenty, or thirty amazing pastries. I arbitrarily decided to limit it to five, but here’s a few more that I especially like.
Beja is a small city in the interior of Portugal in Alentejo. If there’s one sweet associated with Beja, it’s the Porcinho Doce, or Sweet Pig. This cake pays homage to the famous black pigs of Alentejo whose flesh is used in many traditional dishes. No pigs, however, are harmed in this delicious cake. Shaped like a pig and covered in chocolate frosting with “Beja” piped on the side in vanilla frosting, the Porca de Beja is filled with sweet egg custard or egg threads. Often, the pig depicted is a mother with her piglets suckling her.
The cake itself isn’t huge, but you’ll probably need a couple friends to finish one off. The best are at Luiz da Rocha.
Loulé is a city in Portugal’s Algarve region. The Algarve is famous for its beaches, resorts, and golf courses. However, Loulé is inland and far less touristy than the towns along the Atlantic.
In the early 20th century, many people in Loulé were quite poor. Sugar was an extravagance in most homes.
The few rich families would show off their wealth by baking fancy pastries. The daughters in these homes would compete with each other to find out who had the best skills and recipes. The Folhado de Loulé was born out of these contests.
Folhado de Loulé is made by spreading egg custard (flavored with vanilla and lemon zest) on puff pastry. The puff pastry is folded over and sugar is sprinkled on top. The result is an incredibly flaky pastry that is much lighter than the more famous Portuguese tart, the Pastel de Nata.
The best place to get a Folhado de Loulé is at local pastelaria, Cafe Calcinha. Opened in 1929, Cafe Calcinha is modeled in the Art Deco style popular at the time.
Cafe Calcinha originally only allowed the wealthy to enter the cafe. Bureaucrats and businessmen were the main clientele. Poorer customers were later allowed inside but were segregated to a separate area of the cafe. It wasn’t until 1960(!) that women were allowed inside.
The most famous patron of Cafe Calcinha was António Aleixo. The poet was quite poor but he was allowed to sit in the cafe and drink coffee because of his moving verses.
Aleixo never made much money writing poetry. He’d sometimes enter Jogos Florais, poetry and singing competitions, but he didn’t even have appropriate clothes for these contests so he’d end up borrowing a suit. He died penniless from tuberculosis in 1949.
Today, António Aleixo is beloved for his poems which often are self-deprecating, exploring the fragility of humanity. But, he also wrote satires that bit at the fascist Salazar regime.
When you order a pastry from Cafe Calcinha, it is often accompanied by piece of paper with one of Aleixo’s poems. The one we got exposes the hypocrisy of politicians who moralize the sending of young men to an unjust war.
Cafe Calcinha has outdoor seating. There’s a bronze sculpture of António Aleixo sitting at a table. His expression makes me think he’s busing composing his next verse in his head.
A super simple and tasty treat! Figs, which are plentiful in The Algarve, are flattened between the thumb and forefinger. Then, four or five figs are arranged in a star shape. Blanched almonds (almonds with the skins removed) are cut in half lengthwise and pressed into the figs. The fig & almond treat is baked in the oven. What comes out is sweet and chewy and nutty and utterly divine.
Like Ericeira, Peniche is a small city known for its surfing culture.
Bobbin Lace has also been an important part of part of the culture of Peniche for over 400 years. While the men were out at sea filling their boats with fish, women made the intricate lace pieces using thread and bilros (bobbins).
Pastelaria Calé pays tribute to this tradition with milk chocolate bon bons made in the shape of the bobbins, calling them Bilros de Peniche.
Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel Truffle Hunt (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection That Bird. He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including an in-depth eating and drinking guide to Portugal. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms.
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