he tradition of making these cakes goes back to the early nineteenth century. The small dry cakes are made of friable, compact dough, golden yellow in colour. They are crowned with roughly chopped almonds.

Golden yellow in colour and sprinkled with sugar, these soft cakes are made from egg yolks, almonds and sugar. They are a traditional sweet from Praia da Areia Branca, near Lourinhã, but they are thought to have come from one of the convents in the region.

These are made from egg yolks, unpeeled almonds, sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. This cake comes from the old Portuguese convent tradition, since it is based on the classical ingredients of monastic confectionery: eggs, sugar and almonds.

Small yellowish-brown cake prepared with egg yolks, sugar and vanilla essence. Zélia Pereira, who invented it, drew on her own imagination and knowledge of confectionery to create it around forty years ago, and it has now given its name to one of the beaches in the municipality of Lourinhã.

Of ancestral origin, Pão de Ló is now Miragaia’s claim to fame. You need patience to prepare it, as the dough is traditionally kneaded for half an hour in an earthenware bowl with a stick perforated at one end. Once the dough has been kneaded, it is put in an enamel bowl and placed in the oven. When the baked cake is removed from the oven, it has a curious creamy appearance.