Point 7, Pastelaria Alcôa (Alcôa Bakery).
Pastelaria Alcôa was founded in 1957 and has sweetened the lives of its visitors with “mimos de freira” (nun cuddles), “castanhas de ovos” (egg chestnuts), “ovos do paraíso” (eggs from paradise), “torrão real” (royal nougat), “manjar dos deuses” (delicacy of gods), “pudins de São Bernardo” (St. Bernard puddings), and “coroas de abadessa” (abbess crowns), just to mention a few.
The desserts are made according to the ancient traditional recipes of the Alcobaça Cistercian Monks, with perfect sugar stages and syrups made in copper pots. Most of them have been awarded in “conventual” desserts competitions, such as the Cornucopia. Do you know what a cornucopia is? You don't? I’ll explain: in Greek-Roman mythology, the cornucopia symbolised fertility, wealth and abundance and was represented by a horn-shaped vase filled with fruit and flowers. Pastelaria Alcôa’s cornucopia has no fruit, no flowers, but is filled with a creamy and delicious custard. It tastes so good, but soooo good, it even won the prize for the best “conventual” dessert at the International Exhibition of Conventual Desserts & Liqueurs in 2013.
But did you know that the fame of Pastelaria Alcôa does not end there? In 2017, the bakery had the honour of making the desserts for a very important person. Can you guess who? Could it be the President of the Portuguese Republic? Pope Francis? Cristiano Ronaldo? Or Obikwelu? On the count of three, try to answer: 1, 2, 3! The right answer is Pope Francis! Did you get it right? Ahhhh...Very good!
The Pope tasted the desserts during his stay in Fatima on the centenary of the Apparitions. It was then that “coroa de abadessa”, the abbess crown, was born, a cake made of almonds, hazelnuts and black seeds squash, decorated with spun sugar that symbolises the embrace and affection that Pope Francis gives us. Over the years, the bakery has become so famous that it has opened subsidiaries in Lisbon, El Corte Inglés and Chiado. Take advantage of this stop to delight yourselves till you drop.
