Sugar-coated Center of Portugal

Follow this yummy sugar route of Center of Portugal and discover a brave new world of Convent-based delicacies and the most outstanding sweets that will leave you breathless! Calories don't count when you're happy!

📍Aveiro
Ovos-moles

Legend has it that that a sweet-toothed nun who lived in Convento de Jesus was condemned to fasten, in order to fight the sin of gluttony. However this nun hid the mixture of egg yolk and sugar inside the hist dough and on the next day, the other nuns tasted this amazing sweet combination and declared it a miracle, for such a delicacy could only be sent by God!
The soft-eggs "ovos-moles" are one of the top convent-made sweets in Portugal and a true symbol of Aveiro. Nowadays they have sea-related shapes (sardines, shells) and they can also be placed inside wooden barrels.
Maria da Apresentação da Cruz is the official maker of "ovos-moles" in Aveiro.

Gelados de Portugal

Based in Aveiro, the company Fabridoce owns several patisseries in this beautiful city and it is specialised in the production of the delicious “ovos-moles”, the typical sweet of Aveiro made of egg yolk and lots of sugar! Gelados de Portugal is the name of the ice-cream brand and also of a patisserie located at the heart of Aveiro, where you can taste the icons of typical Portuguese desserts transformed into absolutely mouth-watering ice-creams!

📍Ovar
Pão-de-ló de Ovar

Ovar sponge cake is one of the top sweet delicacies of Centro de Portugal! The welcoming city of Ovar, located in the coastline near Aveiro and only half an hour away from Porto airport, is famous for its beautiful houses covered in tiles ("azulejos"), but also for this amazing sponge cake, dating back to the 18th century. A timeless sweet!

Locals say that Pão-de-ló São Luiz bakes the best sponge cake in the city of Ovar! This traditional patisserie, located at the heart of the city, has a friendly retro ambiance and it is the oldest in Ovar. The tasty sponge cake of Ovar dates back to the 18th century and it is a true icon of this region! Outstanding!

📍Coimbra
Crúzios

Luxurious Café Santa Cruz opened its doors on May 8th 1923. Located on the May 8th square, this is one of the most charismatic cafés of Coimbra. Taste the delicious sweet pastries named "crúzios", named after the priests who inhabited the Monastery of Santa Cruz which can be found right next to this inviting café.

Tentúgal pastry

The origins of Tentúgal pastries date back to the 19th century. The guesthouse Dona Maria da Conceição Faria was the only one that produced these delicious puff pasties and egg sweet that became an attraction of the Coimbra elites. The business of Tentúgal pastries remained in the hands of the family until the 50's of the 20th century. The secret of these sweet pastries consists of the puff pastry that must be very thin and crunchy!

📍Viseu
Velvet Cupcake & Coffee

Sweet, Happy & Tasty ! This is the motto of the new delicious spot of the charming city of Viseu: Velvet Cupcake & Coffee ! The most irresistible cupcakes with incredible flavours, mouth-watering capuccinos and macchiatos! A cosy ambiance, hand in hand with a very friendly service, near the city centre.

Chocolate shop Delícia

Chocolate shop Delícia is a brand new spot for chocolate lovers in Viseu. Located near Rossio square, it produces assorted handmade chocolates: bonbons, truffles, umbrellas, bars and so on. All of them with plenty of fillings and toppings! A yummy place to discover in Viseu!

Vouzela pastry

The sweet pastry of Vouzela is truly a gastronomic icon of this city, located 30 km away from Viseu. There is a sort of an healthy "rivalry" between Vouzela and Tentúgal pastries. In fact, they are deeply similar and equally delicious! The Vouzela pastry dates back to the 19th century and it is a sweet temptation made of egg yolk and (lots of) sugar!

📍Alcobaça
Cornucópias

Although its origin is uncertain, it seems that the Cornucópias were created in the Monastery of Coz, founded in the 12th century, under the umbrella of the Monastery of Alcobaça. Its shape is inspired by a horn-shaped vase, which in ancient times symbolized fertility and abundance, as fruit and flowers flowed from within. These sweets are stuffed with soft eggs, made with yolks and sugar, almost the only ingredients that come into the recipe of Portuguese convent sweets, after the use of egg whites for more prosaic purposes.

Alcôa Patisserie

Pastelaria Alcôa is a fantastic patisserie located at the heart of Alcobaça right in front of the UNESCO World Heritage Monastery of Alcobaça, one of the most impressive examples of Cistercian architecture in Europe. Here you can taste the most amazing pastries, as well as the famous award-winning custard pastry "pastel de nata". Irresistibly sweet!

📍Tomar
Beija-me depressa

As many other historical cities in Portugal, Tomar has a century-old tradition of convent-inspired sweets. It's hard to tell which one is the tastiest, but the sweet "Beija-me depressa" (literally translated:"kiss me quickly"!) is most certainly a great highlight!

📍Abrantes
Palha de Abrantes

Palha de Abrantes is a convent-based sweet covered with burnt egg yarn. Tradition has it that the name evokes the port of the city of Abrantes in Tagus river. In the past the port of Abrantes was a stop for supplying straw (in Portuguese, "palha") to local cattle. Hence the Portuguese saying "if you want straw, you should head to Abrantes". Locals believe that this sweet was created in the nun convents of the city, namely in the Convent of Grace of the Dominican Order.

📍Schist Villages
Talasnicos

In your visit to the amazing Schist Village Talasnal, you must taste the delicious "Talasnicos", sweet pastries made of excellent endogenous products such as honey and chestnut! Absolutely mouth-watering!