Portuguese Pastry Post-Doc: Travesseiros de Sintra

At first glance, Travesseiros de Sintra, seem to be the sugar coated cousin of pampilhos. The box below has both, so you can see their resemblance. Travesseiro means “pillow” in Portuguese, and I am not quite sure why this confection in particular gained the “pillow” name, though it appears that other renditions have a more rectangular shape. They are a specialty of the town of Sintra, which is perhaps better known for its castles and its queijadas, small cheesecake-like confections. Like the pampilho (and a majority of other Portuguese treats) , the travesseiro is full of egg custard – known as ovos-moles. However instead of cake layer, as in a pampilho, a travesseiro  is composed of puff pastry and covered in crystal sugar. If you are in Sintra, they are a classic of the Piriquita bakery. If you already a pro at ovos-moles – here is a recipe in Portuguese to try.

A Pampilho de Santarém (top) and Travessiro de Sintra from Corte Ingles, Lisbon.