Confeitaria Da Ponte: Convent Sweets in Amarante

In Amarante, the oldest confectionary is the Confeitaria da Ponte, which was established in 1930 and is located next to the Tâmega River. They specialize in traditional pastries, many based on old recipes from local convents. You can buy pastries to go, or enjoy them there, whether inside their small dining room or outside on their terrace. It had been drizzling that day, so we say inside rather than on the terrace. You can enjoy coffee, tea or even Port wine with your sweet treats.

Inside, the shop was clean with fine displays of their pastries and treats. Prices were very reasonable, with most items seeming to cost only 1-2 Euros. The prices weren't listed on the display cases so I was surprised how inexpensive everything was once I paid for my boxes of sweets. A great value!   

On one wall, is a poem about the Confeitaria, although it's in Portuguese. 

Not all of the pastries had a tag identifying them, but they still looked enticing. Some are traditional pastries while others are more modern creations. It seems most of the traditional pastries were named in the display cases.

These are Saint Gonçalo sweets, although not the more famous Bolos de São Gonçalo. 

The Brisas do Tâmega ("Tâmega breezes") look like small boats, and are filled with egg jam and almond kernels. To the right in the pic are Foguetes ("rockets"), also made with eggs and almonds. We bought a number of pastries, including both of these. They were sweet and tasty, flaky and with a nutty touch. 

Lérias are made with egg yolks, sugar and almonds while the Papos de Anjo ("angel's double chin") resembled a sugar-coated dumpling filled with a cream of whipped egg yolks. I really enjoyed the Papos, and the creamy egg filling was a delight. 

This was maybe my favorite sweet, a type of light and moist spice cake topped by a crunchy topping, which I initially thought might be coconut but was something different, which I couldn't identify. I wish I had asked more questions about this cake. 

If you're in the area of Amarante, you must make a stop at the Confeitaria da Ponte to enjoy traditional Portuguese sweets. You might even want to skip lunch and just enjoy a variety of pastries and treats. Its fame is justified, its prices are very reasonable, and your palate will be pleased.