Bolo de Chocolate (Chocolate Cake) We rarely say no to chocolate cake. Daryl is sticking with Bolo de Chocolate since he’s more of a chocolate cake fan. Bolo de Bolacha e Caramel is now Mindi’s official Portuguese birthday cake. Our obsession with this Portuguese cake can’t be understated. When done right, it’s that and so much more. The name of this dessert literally translates to Wafer Cake with Caramel. Bolo de Bolacha e Caramelo (Biscuit and Caramel Cake) Our lives have been sweeter since we ate this caramel-drenched slice of Bolo de Bolacha e Caramelo at Leitaria da Quinta do Paço in Lisbon.įlavored with both wafers and caramel, Bolo de Bolacha e Caramelo provides a practical solution when deciding between a cookie or cake. After eating our collective weight in desserts both at home in Lisbon and in destinations like Cascais, Coimbra, Évora, Porto, Sintra and the Algarve, these are our favorite desserts in Portugal: 1. Tasting Portuguese desserts has become a bit of a passion project for us. We ended our lunch at O Rapido in Porto with these tiny Matateus cakes. Portuguese desserts come in all shapes in sizes. Some of the best are specific to Portugal while others are global in both origin and popularity. Many of these desserts are filled with egg yolks and sugar but plenty feature ingredients like chocolate and almonds. The number of Portuguese dessert recipes is astounding. Pretty much every Portuguese menu has a sobremesa (dessert) section fill with cake, pudding and more. We mentioned that the Portuguese people love desserts and we weren’t exaggerating. We ended a particularly tasty Lisbon lunch with this slice of homemade pie at Fabrica Imperial. Our Favorite Portuguese Desserts Any meal in Portugal is better when it ends with dessert. In this guide, we share our favorite Portuguese pastries and desserts including some with international ties and one that will surprise you.ĭiscover inspirational desserts in France, Germany and Italy. We’ve made a point to eat lots of Portugal desserts for ‘research purposes’ since we moved to Lisbon in 2019 and it’s one of our favorite aspects of living in Portugal. Walk up to a Portuguese pasteleria counter today and you’ll find a variety of beautiful golden hued pastries in between local versions of croissants, donuts and cookies. Egg yolks and sugar are the two main ingredients in many traditional Portuguese desserts like this sweet, eggy Ovos Mole we enjoyed in Évora as a rich midday treat.Įgg yolks became a common ingredient at that time due to nuns using egg whites to starch their habits. Other doces conventuais (convent sweets) were invented in monasteries across the country even earlier.

The Pastel de Nata was famously invented at Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in the 18th century before later achieving international dessert fame.

These two ingredients are prevalent in many but not all Portuguese dessert recipes including the country’s most famous pastel (pastry) – the Pastel de Nata. There’s no debate that the Portuguese have a thing for sugar and eggs. We found and ate this trio of sweet treats in Évora. What Makes Portuguese Desserts Unique? The variety of Portuguese desserts is astounding. Like the rest of the Iberian country, Lisbon has a seemingly endless number of pastelerias (pastry shops) and even more pastéis (pastries). We didn’t move to Lisbon because of the Portuguese capital’s obsession for sweet treats but we’re not complaining. Ovos Mole de Aveiro (Soft Eggs of Aveiro) Pudim Abade de Priscos (Abbot of Priscos’ Pudding) Bolo de Bolacha e Caramelo (Biscuit and Caramel Cake)

Original portuguese egg tart recipe