Bread, Glorious (Portuguese) Bread!

Bread (known as pão) is an integral part of the Portuguese diet, and the day for many will start with a bread roll or toast (torrada), bread is often included at major meals and sometimes for snacks as well.

Bread has been made across the world for centuries, and will consist of flour of some sort, a leavening agent or yeast, sugar or honey, salt, water, and the option of oil or fat, but the secret is in the balance of ingredients, and Portugal’s bread is no exception. More of this, less of that, a bit of something else – each recipe makes it unique.

Most are baked to be eaten the same day, which can be frustrating to those who are used to longer-life bread. If travelling through Portugal, try the local bread, and you will find it varies from region to region.

Here are a few you might come across:

‘Pão de forma’ - is a basic tin-baked bread. Most locals start their day with torrada com manteiga (toast and butter), and the slice will be a good thick slice! This particular bread is also used to make fatias douradas or rabanadas, which is the Portuguese equivalent of French toast - sometimes served warm, but you’ll also see it served cold and kept in the pastelaria counter next to other cakes, and is often served as a dessert around Christmas time.

Papo-seco or Carcaça - These are small bread rolls that are often used as sandwiches - and to make bifanas - a luscious traditional pork steak sandwich. They’re simply an all-purpose bread roll, and they’re a staple of the Portuguese diet.

Pão de Mafra – This bread originated from Mafra, around 40 km north of Lisbon, and was only really eaten in Mafra, but its popularity soon spread, and the people from Mafra began selling it in Lisbon. It is made from wheat, rye, and lots of water, is soft on the inside and crusty on the outside and has a delicious rustic taste.

Bolo de Caco – This one is from Madeira, but you can sometimes find it on mainland Portugal too. It is incredibly soft, which is unusual for Portuguese bread, and very easy to eat, made from flour and the addition of sweet potato, probably due to the lack of cereals on Madeira. The bread is named after the caco or hot stone that it’s cooked on. It’s often served with garlic butter, but can also be used for making sandwiches as well.

Broa de Avintes – This is commonly found around Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto. It’s quite a dark, dense bread made from corn and rye flour, with an intense bittersweet flavour.

Pão de Centeio – This too is a dark, dense and filling rye bread that’s commonly found in the North of Portugal. Although it is traditionally made from just rye flour, some recipes contain wheat or other grains too, so double-check the ingredients if you’re wheat-sensitive.

Pão de Deus – This is a bread to die for, a heavenly bread with the meaning ‘bread of god’. It’s a sweet bread roll with grated shredded coconut on the top, and it can either be eaten as is or used to make a sandwich.

If exploring Portugal, it’s relatively easy to realise why dark rye is the staple in the rough mountainous area of Trás-os-Montes in the north, while broa de Milho made with corn is typical in verdant Minho, known for its rainfall. In the centre and south of the country, in the Alentejo - which is known as ‘Portugal’s breadbasket’ - you will see seemingly endless fields of wheat, that are the origin of the much-beloved pão Alentejano, recognised for its round shape and distinctive thick, rustic crust, being soft and airy inside. In the bottom south of the country, more exotic ingredients like carob also make an appearance in regional baked goods.

American chef and cookbook author James Beard is quoted as saying: “Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” Bon Appetit!

Marilyn writes regularly for The Portugal News, and has lived in the Algarve for some years. A dog-lover, she has lived in Ireland, UK, Bermuda and the Isle of Man. 

Marilyn Sheridan