Day 191: Portugal Pastry Review

14 pastries in two days? Oh the sacrifices that I make for you, dear readers. Even in France I didn't see as many pastries as I've seen in Portugal. They seem like a big part of the cafe culture and there are so many to choose from selecting them can be daunting. To help all of you I've gorged myself and written a short review of the pastries I've tried. Whether you're hungry enough for a full meal or just looking for something to dunk in your coffee, the pastries of Portugal will satisfy you.

So many choices! Eat them all!

Empada Vitela e Empada de Galinha

Veal on the left. Chicken on the right.

Sweetness: 0
Heaviness: 3-4
Dunkability: -5
Amazingness: 4

If you're looking for something substantial grab a few of these. Empadas are usually filled with chicken or beef. They are served in nearly all cafes and two or three will fill you nicely. The best ones that I've had are not flakey but look breaded and are more dumpling shaped.

Jesuita de Chila

Sweetness: 4
Heaviness: 3
Dunkability: 1
Amazingness: 3

A light and flakey crust perfectly complimented by a subtly flavored pumpkin filling. Shredded pieces of pumpkin create a unique texture. It's incredibly sweet and filling. Honey glazed top. Getting through the filling bit is rough because it's so rich. Would go well with a café (or a friend) to break up the sweetness.

Bispo

Sweetness: 3
Heaviness: 5
Dunkability: 0
Amazingness: 1

This one wasn't my favorite. It felt heavy but light on taste. There was an excessive eggy taste that I didn't enjoy. Can't say that I recommend.

Mini Bola de Berim

Sweetness: 3
Heaviness: 2
Dunkability: 2
Amazingness: 3

This little guy beats the hell out of Dunkin' Doughnuts Munchkins. A puffy little ball of pastry dough filled with an egg creme completed with a dusting of powdered sugar. Seriously I could eat about 10. Most pastry shops sell a number of these miniature pastries that are perfect for finding a favorite.

Pastel de Tentugal

Sweetness: 3
Heaviness: 2
Dunkability: 5
Amazingness: 4

On the outside it reminded me of baklava but when I took a bit the first image that came to my mind was one of those big wheaties. This one is all about the flakey texture of the dough on the outside. It's light and crispy with a nice sweet mellow flavor. It's not super rich and overpowering and the texture is really nice. One of my favorites so far and the shape would be great for dunking.

Salame de Chocolate

Sweetness: 5
Heaviness: 5
Dunkability: 2
Amazingness: 3

Who doesn't like melt in your mouth chocolate? Look no further. Similar to a brownie, this dense cake has intense chocolate flavor that's not overpowering because of the vanilla wafers inside of it. The chocolate is smooth and the wafers give it a nice crunch. I definitely couldn't eat two of these but this is delicious.

Gloria

Sweetness: 5
Heaviness: 3
Dunkability: 2
Amazingness: 2

Looks like a doughnut but do not be fooled. The icing on top is very thick and extremely sweet. Instead of being puffy and bread-like the pastry is layers of flakey crispy goodness. Although it's a little hard to eat without getting icing all over my face, it's delicious. The pastry and icing go nicely together. I wouldn't recommend for dunking.

Peanut Log (???)

Sweetness: 2
Heaviness: 3
Dunkability: 5
Amazingness: 3

After eating that not-a-doughnut, this pastry is the perfect cure. It's not heavy and rich but it gives you something substantial to bite into. There is no filling in the middle just a light flavoring of peanuts. If you don't like insanely sweet pastries, this is a good choice.

Jesuita

Sweetness: 3
Heaviness: 3
Dunkability: 5
Amazingness: 4

Nearly resembling a star destroyer, the jesuita is layers of thin and flakey dough complimented by a thin layer of filling, topped with a hard icing. I enjoyed this pastry because it wasn't super sweet. The layer of filling in the middle gave it just enough moisture. I highly recommend breaking this apart and dunking it.

Lanche Especial

Sweetness: 0
Heaviness: 4
Dunkability: 0
Amazingness: 5

If you're looking for something filling and don't feel like an empada, go for a lanche or bola de carne. Either way you'll be satisfied. Bread with meat baked inside is amazing. The lanche especial is ham, onions, peppers, and cheese, similar to a calzone. The bola de carne looks more like a slice of pie with layers of ham and cheese.

Queijada com Amendoas

Sweetness: 2
Heaviness: 2
Dunkability: 2
Amazingness: 4

Perhaps almonds make you feel healthy or you like their taste, give this pastry a try. Shredded almonds piled on top of a sweet bread. It's not too sweet and the almonds and bread go nicely together. If you don't want a coffee full of almonds, I wouldn't recommend going for the dunk.

Pao de Deus

Sweetness: 3
Heaviness: 3
Dunkability: 5
Amazingness: 5

The best for last. Simplicity is the language of the gods. With a name as lofty as "Bread of God," this pastry does not disappoint. A large portion of fluffy sweet bread topped with a lemony coconut icing and blessed with powdered sugar. Because of its simplicity, balance of sweetness, and dunkability, I name the pao de deus the king of all pastries!

If you've been to Portugal you know that I've missed the most important pastry, the pastel de nata. I haven't reviewed it because I've eaten so many I'm sick of them. No visit to Portugal would be complete without saturating your tastebuds with pastel de nata but I hope this article helps you to explore beyond the nata... Bom apetite!

Still hungry? Munch on this article about Portuguese pastries Fabrico Próprio (thanks Luis).

Tchao!

Day 189: Lovin' Lisboa: My Favorite Experiences

Hidey-ho blogaroos. I have some super exciting news to share. First I have a confession to make. I'm feeling tired. Seven months of backpacking across Europe has been immensely awesome but also exhausting. Perhaps tired isn't the most accurate adjective. When I get to a new city, of course I'm excited but there's not the same sparkle there was at the beginning. "Oh you big wussy, suck it up," you say. Thanks for being so considerate. Thankfully I think I found the solution.

Hell yeah! I'm going to Liverpool!

I have been traveling very slowly, from place to place, taking busses, trains, boats, or hitch hiking from city to city. The only flight that I've taken I missed, but that's changing. From Porto I was going to head to San Sebastián but I didn't realize how far away it was. Getting there was going to be difficult. There is an expensive high speed train and the bus costed €90. I was lamenting to my host in Porto and she suggested I catch a flight. Then something clicked for me, I'm not tired, I just need to change my method of travel. So, I just bought a one way flight to Liverpool. I leave on Thursday and already feel that spark returning.

I ordered the DIY kit but here's the Original Luna.  ©LunaSandals

On another quick side note, I've been looking for a new pair of shoes for running and exploring. I was going to drop some big money on a nice pair of trainers but I've really enjoyed my Vivo Barefoots over the past 4 years and going back to a 'normal shoe' felt odd. I didn't want to spend the money on another pare of Vivo's yet, but luckily the guy that saved my life in Washington DC posted a link for LunaSandals on Facebook. Sandals sound like the perfect solution because the smell of my barefoots will curl your hair. I just bought the kit and had it shipped to a friend in England. I'll let you know how it turns out! My body is looking forward to freedom, my feet are looking forward to freedom, life is good, and so was Lisboa.

The train hit 225 KM/hr – I think I can almost bike that fast.

Lisboa's Oriente train station is magnificent.

From the first second I got off the train, I could tell that I was going to like Lisboa. The train ride in was beautiful as we crossed over the river and saw the buildings rising up from the water. I quickly learned that Lisboa has seven hills and that climbing them with my pack makes me very sweaty. My host lived in Graça, an old neighborhood rich with history and steep small streets. For once, I met my host without a problem and Machado and I spent two days together. Unfortunately he was too busy saving the world for us to spend a lot of time together. He works 60 hours a week as a biochemist and educating youngsters in the ways of the natural sciences. I was eager to stay with him because he's also into meditation and yoga. I wish we had time to practice together. Since Machado had to go to bed for work, I went out.

Now that's karmic justice.

On my first night I met up with some other CouchSurfers and we had fun in Bairro Alto drinking and having a good time. Bairro Alto is the neighborhood with the majority of the night life. It was a long walk from Graça but I followed the tram tracks so I didn't get lost. We found a bar with good music and sipped on some 750 ml beers while the stories flowed.

This street leading to Graça had sweet graffiti and a community garden.

The next day I met with a friend of my CouchSurfing host in Nice. Mr. Luis and I had been corresponding over the internet and now it was time to meet the man behind the blog. I was meeting him at the Gulbenkian Museum where he was researching for his masters in museology. Though I was nearly an hour late we had a pleasant lunch in the museum's café and he said that I could stay with him tomorrow. Later that night I cooked tilapia with mango salsa for Machado. The fruits in Portugal are so tasty and cheap. If you can track down some yellow mangos, eat them slowly and savor every bite.

No, it's not dog barf, it's tilapia with mango salsa over saffron rice.

I almost forgot to take a photo of Machado, good thing I remembered.

The following morning I found my way to Luis' Palace rather by accident. I knew the area where Luis lived but didn't have his exact address. After a string of texts and battles with public phones, I hunkered down at a cafe and waited for him to send me the address. After about 10 minutes someone taps me on the shoulder and I find Luis behind me. He laughs because the cafe I was sitting at was literally right outside his apartment. His antique elevator rattles us up to the top floor of his building and after satisfying the keyhole, we enter the palace. Luis' apartment is a mix between a museum and design gallery, replete with various paintings and drawings, and designer everything. It is beautiful and spotless, reflective of Luis' OCD. The view from the balcony is stellar, looking out over his neighborhood of Rato. It was my good fortune to enjoy the company of Luis and his husband Pedro for five days. During my five days in Lisboa I did so much that it's a lot to fit in one blog entry.

A square just north of Baixa.

The Lisbon Cathedral was totally burned out in the fire of 1755.

The fire ravaged the church and you can still see the damaged stone.

The square of Rossio. Yeah!

Weirdest looking pastry was also the worst tasting pastry...

Inside Lisboa's famous elevator.

This statue was like "Yo, what's up dawg?"

Self portrait by the river.

I took a nap here and got mega sunburned.

Haha.

All of these mooring spots were painted.

A great series.

Lisboa is a beautiful city to wander around and each of the neighborhoods has a unique feel. My favorite experiences were... Wandering around Belém, through its large park, two towers, and cathedral. After my night out with the CouchSurfers I wandered through Baixa at 3AM with no one else around and was overcome by the magnificence of the Arco da Rua Augusta and the statue afterwards. The boulevard ends on the water and I sat at the water's edge and listened to the waves before I headed home.

Sunlight coming through a tree in Jardim do Ultramar in Belém.

Relaxing in the park.

... and what an awesome park!

Belém's Monument to the Discoveries - you can also go inside.

Tower of Belém.

Taking photos through the lens of a camera obscura. Obscure!

Jerónimos Monastary, where Vasco da Gama is buried.

Inside the church they were having a service.

Oh yeah artsy manual focus.

I saw this photo on the bus and came back for it.

Tight rope walkin' Jesus.

I couldn't stop taking photos.

It was so peaceful at night with no one around.

Amazing sculpture. One horse leg up means he died in battle.

One of the cars of the funiculair.

The castle of São George is another must see in Lisboa and provides wonderful views of the city along with the chance to explore an ancient Moorish castle. Arguably the views from São George are the best in all of Lisboa. I certainly testify, they are great. Plus they have peacocks. If you can survive the climb to the entrance, you will totally enjoy yourself.

The test you must pass to get to the castle.

But it's well worth it.

Couch Surfing? Cannon Surfing!

The castle guard.

See the rainbow?

The castle was a maze of walls.

Amazing views.

Out of Lisboa's many museums I made it to both buildings of the Gulbenkian and the Mude. The Gulbenkian is nestled amidst a lush garden of plants where many Portuguese enjoy books in the sun. Both museums are excellent and are free on Sundays until 2. As long as you've got your ticket you can enjoy the museum for the rest of the day. The classical gallery is an outstanding exhibition of art from all over the world but my favorite was Gulbenkian's collection of René Lalique's art nouveau glass work.

I was feeling artsy and inspired after René.

Avenue de Libertad.

Another awesome view headed from Baixa to Graça

House texture!

Before I left I chased the trams around.

This was my favorite tram shot!

Lisboa has so much to explore and is so rich in history that I know I missed a lot. For example, I wish I went to a restaurant and listened to some Fado so I can't wait to go back. I enjoyed staying with both Machado and Luis, especially seeing how they live their lives. Luis was particularly interesting because he knows so many artists and designers. He taught me about Marina Abromovic, Ray and Charles Eames, and embarrassingly, Raymond Lowey. I've forgotten a lot since art history class and at some point I would like to start a blog to re-teach myself and help others. Perhaps I could tie it into travel and do an entry on important artists around my current area. Anywho... Like I said, Lisboa rocked. Oh and if you go, remember to pronounce LiSHboa correctly or you won't get any girls.

Tchao!