Early on a Saturday morning in Porto, a couple aged around eighty-five shuffle into a cafe, eyes locked on the glass counter of cookies, pastries, cakes, and custards. This is their first meal of the day. The waiter is polite, his mannerisms traditional. The husband and the waiter pull out the wife’s chair, and she lands daintily. She’ll have a galão, a tall clear glass filled with espresso and warmed milk—the Portuguese latte. For him, an espresso, complemented by sugar emptied from two colorful packets. Their respective morning drinks are just accompaniments to what really satiates—they both order pasteis de nata, and specify they like them well-baked, with blackened tops.
Outside, the parking lot is sprinkled with red poppies. Porto in the springtime has a high pollen forecast. Caledonia flowers burst around quiet squares, and wild wisterias live in beds below booming trees. Near the old couple, a sniffling family drinks orange juice and takes apart raivas cookies. Everyone has their way of eating their favorite treat. Some pick at the sides, some take generous bites, some leave the middle bits. Eating out for breakfast is a regular event for the Portuguese. And sweets, whether they re baked goods or fruits cut with a fork and knife, are as written into the culture as their agricultural history. Perhaps because the two come hand in hand.
In the 15th century, Portugal was one of the largest suppliers of eggs, and much of the world’s sugar came from its colonies in Latin America, now known as Brazil. While the egg whites were used to starch clothing, yolks were left to the nuns in their convents, and playful rivalries between sisters in the kitchen have shaped the innovative repertoires of Portuguese pastry chefs today. The innocent humor of the nuns is reflected in the names of desserts, such as a cake called “angel’s double chin.”
Here are the prettiest of the bunch, and some tips on how to spot them:
Doces de gema, or in English, egg yolk sweets, in a market outside of Ingreja da Lapa, in Porto.
Quindim de côco, which is more Brazilian than Portuguese, is beautiful, delicious, and comes in a variety of sizes. It s a coconut custard, some with a cherry in the middle.
Ovos moles are shaped like seashells, with a filling of egg yolk and sugar. You can buy them at markets, or just about any bakery.
Beijinhos as sweet as their title, which means little kisses. They re traditionally topped with grated coconut and a clove.
Bolo de arroz, otherwise known as rice muffins or cupcakes, from Padaria Ribeiro, another treasured bakery of Porto. You can recognize them from their paper wrapping—notice how different bakeries use different colored and textured paper.
A pao de lo, which is like a sponge cake. They are always baked in paper, and if special-ordered, sometimes they re shaped like a boat.
Papos do ango (angel’s double chins) are rich, sugary, deep-fried doughy cakes. You may have to ask for these ones, as they are not obviously shaped a certain way. These are pumpkin flavored, and homemade.