Pão de Deus

Gently, evenly sweet — far from the intense sugar of Portugal's convent sweets. Contrast is its charm: a crisp, toasted coconut crust on top, a buttery, soft, springy crumb beneath, with a quiet scent of lemon and slow fermentation.

The classic is topped with coconut alone, but it's often found split and filled with egg custard or doce de ovos, especially in pastelarias. Its older cousins, the arrufada and estaladinho, skip the coconut for plain sugar. Some bakers scent the dough with vanilla or rum.

Any good neighbourhood bakery or pastelaria in Lisbon has it fresh first thing in the morning — that's where, at the counter and still warm, you'll taste the real thing. Come early: the best sell out before mid-morning. A Padaria Portuguesa, a chain with shops across the city, made it one of its signature items and serves it reliably.

The classic match is a galão or an espresso at breakfast. Split and buttered, it's perfect; many love it with egg jam or a cup of tea in the afternoon.