Traditional Sweets from Viana do Castelo
Viana do Castelo is a city highly regarded for its historic monuments.
But it’s not just the historic monuments that deserve to be highlighted in this city.
The traditional sweets of Viana do Castelo are also a strong reason to travel here.
Especially because nowhere else in Portugal will you be able to taste such an authentic taste.
So, when you visit Viana do Castelo, there are 4 typical sweets that you really have to eat:
Keep reading and get to know each one of them.
Natário’s Berlin Balls
Confeitaria Manuel Natário is the most famous pastry shop in Viana do Castelo.
And why is it so famous?
The Berlin Balls are the answer to this question.
This pastry shop has over 85 years of history and serves around 1000 Berliner balls daily.
Its Berlin balls are sprinkled with cinnamon and overflow with delicious cream, with a secret recipe, which only those who taste it can understand why they have become such a huge success in the city and in Portugal.
Confeitaria Manuel Natário is, therefore, a place to visit during your holidays in Viana do Castelo.
The pastry shop is located at number 37 on Rua Manuel Espregueira.
If, however, you don’t like Berlin balls, that’s no problem. Confeitaria Manuel Natário has other homemade sweets that are worth trying.
You can, for example, try the Viana cookies, custard tarts, puff cake, English cake, famous king cake, duck puff pastry, pie and half-moons.
On TripAdvisor, you can see the various positive comments about Natário’s Bolas de Berlin and other sweets from the pastry shop.
“The best Berlin ball we’ve ever tasted (…) A place to repeat on a next visit to Viana do Castelo”, “Delicious food and incredible atmosphere! It is a high-quality pastry shop with a traditional atmosphere, but at the same time modern” and “a visit to Natário is a must. It’s the dough, it’s the filling, it’s even the color… unique” are some of the comments we read on TripAdvisor when we searched for the pastry shop in Viana do Castelo.
Sidónios
Sidónios are another of the sweets from Viana do Castelo that are in the top 5.
The best are Sidónios from Casa Brasileira, is what the people of Viana and those who visit the city say.
Casa Brasileira is the oldest confectionery in the city, with more than 100 years of history and is located on Rua Sacadura Cabral.
Its Sidonians are the biggest reason for pride for the owners and the biggest reason for their customers to go there.
But, after all, what are Sidónios?
Sidónios are coffin-shaped cakes made with almonds, sugar and eggs.
In the mouth they have a smooth almond flavor, they are crunchy and slightly creamy.
And these cakes keep two curiosities, which we tell you here.
The first is that the name of the cake is a tribute to Sidónio Pais, former president of Portugal, who died in 1918.
The second is that Casa Brasileira patented the sweet in its name and, for many years, they were the only place where you could taste a Sidónio.
But, even today with more places producing Sidónios, there is nothing better than tasting the original.
On the Casa Brasileira page on TripAdvisor, there are several compliments that confirm the delicious taste of its Sidónios.
Comments like: “One of the specialties of this place is without a doubt the Sidónios. Try it and you will definitely repeat. Very good” or “The bakery makes one of the best sweets in town, the “sidonios”. Although there are some in other pastry shops, these are some of the best” are proof of the deliciousness of this sweet from Viana do Castelo.
Viana Pie
This is a sweet with centuries of history and certified as a Viana do Castelo sweet.
Tortas de Viana appeared in 1505. Legend has it that the recipe originated in the Convent of Santa Ana.
Those responsible for the first Viana Pies were nuns who went from the Monastery of Vila do Conde to the convent of Viana. These nuns were already famous for being sweet artists and came to the Minho city to show off their culinary skills.
At that time, Viana Pie were considered a luxury sweet and were only prepared for special occasions. Maybe that’s why its old name was Pie Real.
However, over time, the preparation of this delicious sweet became more common and its recipe has been passed down from generation to generation until today.
Viana Pie is basically a cake, covered with egg cream and then rolled up. As they are subsequently rolled up, the Viana Pies are completely filled with cream.
But what makes this pie one of the Portuguese favorites is the fact that it is a simple combination of egg cream with flour and sugar.
It is a case to say that the simple recipes are also very successful and taste good.
The end result is a fluffy and creamy sweet that you really have to try during your holidays in Viana do Castelo.
Pastelarias Ameadella, Dona Farinha Cake Design, Pastelaria do Castelo and Pastelaria Zé Natário are the main pastry shops in the city of Minho where you can enjoy this delicious traditional dessert.
Manjericos de Viana
If the name Natário stuck in your head because of the Berlin balls, it will also stick in your head for Manjericos de Viana.
However, these tasty sweets originated in another confectionery: in the Zé Natário pastry shop.
Same last name, but two different pastry shops. And both with delicious sweets.
While the Manuel Natário confectionery is famous for its berlin balls, the Zé Natário pastry shop gained fame thanks to its Manjericos de Viana.
This sweet, created in 1970, consists of a wafer cup filled with egg jam, which after being filled and crimped resembles an ocimum minimum vase.
On TripAdvisor, several people describe Manjericos de Viana as “fantastic”, “addictive” and as a “great complement to coffee”.
They are, without a doubt, a great sweet to end a meal, after eating a typical Viana do Castelo meal, for example.
The Zé Natário pastry shop, located on Avenida dos Combatentes da Grande Guerra, is therefore a mandatory stop during your holidays in Viana do Castelo.
These are the traditional sweets of Viana do Castelo that you have to try during your holidays in the city.
Book your stay and come and taste the best that Viana has to offer.
