Portuguese Pastry Post-Doc for the World Cup: Queijadas from Sintra

Portugal received a trouncing today by Germany in the World Cup, so if you are a Portugal fan, why not drown your sorrows in some delicious Portuguese pastry? One of the most emblematic pastries in Portugal is the Queijada / Queijadinha (simply, “little Queijada”), which is a sweet, baked cheese and egg tart from picturesque Sintra. It is actually kind of hard to describe since “cheesecake” in the USA conjures up memories of cool, creamy New York-style slices. Instead, the filling of a queijada is more solid and granular – not “cheesy” at all! But don’t let that dissuade you – they are delicious and unique in their own right. For the real deal, the best place to get queijadas in Sintra is the Piriquita Cafe/Bakery (Rua das Padarias, 1 – Sintra), a store that has been turning out the delicacies for over a century. If you are not in the vicinity of Lisbon, Honest Cooking and The Age have recipes to make your own sweet treats to smooth over any world cup moodiness.

Queijadas at Piriquita by Sandra Rosa