Portuguese cuisine is ideal for those with a sweet tooth, especially those with a love of cinammon. The country has an astounding baking tradition, which the wider world is slowly becoming aware of, notably as is the case with the world-famous pasteis de nata. While pasteis de nata are certainly worth the praise, it’s also worth exploring other less well-known Portuguese desserts. Here’s our top three.
3. Pasteis de Nata
The pastel de nata (pasteis de nata when pluralised – you’ll be wanting to order more than one) is an egg tart dating back to the 18th century when monks at the Jerónimos Monastery created them. The story goes that the monks would use large amounts of egg whites for starching clothes, leaving them with a lot of left over egg yolks. The solution? Pastry. In fact many Portuguese desserts still have religious names behind them, possibly reflecting this tradition. The link between Portuguese monks and pastry played a key role in the creation of many of the country’s top bakes, with the humble pastel de nata being the most famous. If you’re in Lisbon, head to Pasteis de Belém, which is just around the corner from the original monastry. Their pasteis are light, salty, sweet and gooey – a winning combination.
2. Pão de Deus
Pão de Deus, meaning something along the lines of Heavenly Bread (again the religious connection), is another highly recommended baked good – especially for fans of coconut. It’s a soft and delicious brioche with egg yolk and covered with grated coconut and sugar. Like other forms of brioche, it can be served with jam. Ideal for breakfast.
1. Bolo de Bolacha
Literally translated as ‘biscuit cake’, bolo de bolacha is a no-bake cake a little like tiramisu that takes coffee-dunked Maria biscuits and butter cream in alternate layers, resulting in a soft sweet treat that cuts like butter. This was our absolute favourite Portuguese dessert and one that seems relatively easy to make at home.
You can get them from all good Portuguese supermarkets, while El Rei D. Frango and Time Out Market also stock very good qualiy bolos de bolacha. This was probably our foodie highlight of our entire time in Portugal.
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