TYPICAL TASTES OF CASCAIS and where to find them
While you are traveling, if you really want to get to know a place, you not only need to see the views and meet the people, but you also need to get a taste!
And as gastronomy goes, it’s not only the meals at the table that get the spotlight, but also the sweets and wines, and this post is all about that.
In Cascais, apart from the great fish and seafood, there are a lot of stores and coffee shops you should get to know, but since we can’t name them all, here are our top choices:
- As traditional confectionery goes, Cascais has sweets that go way back – such as “Joaninhas” – a sweet made of almond, eggs and sugar, known as one of our Kings’ favorites, dating back to the nineteenth century. You can find this amazing treat at a restaurant called Paulinha, known for making traditional confectionery.
- You should go to Sintra, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, to taste the two most typical cakes of the village. First, you can start by visiting Casa do Preto, a coffee shop right at the entrance of the village or even Fábrica das Verdadeiras Queijadas da Sapa, a tea room with a secret recipe of “queijadas de Sintra”, a pastry with crispy-bottomed dough and a well-toasted topping.
And after the “Queijadas”, If you’re still craving sweets, go to Piriquita, a coffee shop in the center of the village. It is a centennial confectionery, which makes the well-known “travesseiros” – pastries stuffed with sweet-egg and some almond, amongst other secrets.
- Still on the sweets matter, do not forget to pay a visit to Garrett Estoril, a pastry shop, where you can get the famous “Areias de Cascais”, the mouth-watering cookies you won’t be able to stop eating. A fun fact about their name, which translated to English is “Cascais’ Sands”, is that if you leave them in a bag and they are crumbling, they end up looking like sand from the beach.
- In Colares, we have Adega Regional de Colares, a winery that is in business since the 30’s, that makes wines in this region, with grapes from various places connected to the cooperative. You’re going to want to book a wine tasting, but don’t miss out on the building, which is also worth a visit by itself.
