Bolo Podre

Moist, dense and deeply aromatic. The olive oil lends a fruity softness, the honey a warm dark sweetness, and cinnamon with orange lift it all. The crumb is compact and almost fudgy, with a lingering whiff of brandy.

There are almost as many versions as families. Many are topped with almonds, others add clove or lean more on honey and less on sugar. Beja and Évora each claim their own recipes, and some cooks also use walnuts or aniseed.

Found in traditional bakeries and pastry shops across the Alentejo, especially in Beja and Évora, and at convent-sweet fairs. The best is usually homemade: ask at village cafés and tea houses, or seek out confectioners that still make convent sweets the old-fashioned way.

It calls for a warm fortified wine: a Moscatel de Setúbal, an Alentejo vinho abafado, or a homemade liqueur. At teatime, it pairs nicely with a strong coffee or a herbal tea.