In a tiny nook of land on the banks of the Tamega river, in northern Portugal, lies a small town called Amarante.
They are called Bolos de Sao Goncalo (English: Saint Goncalo Cakes).
Bolos de Sao Goncalo, or the 'testicles' of Sao Goncalo.
Amarante is a deeply conservative town in Portugal, but any mention of it is incomplete without these sweets.
Photo: Getty ImagesThe main bridge in the town, Ponte de Sao Goncalo is unmissable, and leads to Igreja de Sao Goncalo and the Sao Goncalo monastery.
In a tiny nook of land on the banks of the Tamega river, in northern Portugal, lies a small town called Amarante. About 11,000 people live here. The major port of interest near Amarante is the bustling second city of Portugal, Porto, and most day trips to Amarante originate here. Unless you are staying in Amarante for a mad celebration of love and fertility that takes place on the first Saturday of June every year, and on January 10, Sao Goncalo's death anniversary.
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The currency in this affair is a bunch of uniquely shaped cakes. They are called Bolos de Sao Goncalo (English: Saint Goncalo Cakes). Colloquially, these sweets are also called doces falicos (or phallic cakes, literally). Bolos de Sao Goncalo, or the 'testicles' of Sao Goncalo. Photo: Author
Every June in Amarante, by the Tamega, the longest tributary of the Douro river, bakeries go to town with bags of Bolos de Sao Goncalo; local grandmothers bake dozens of giant penises, and young women and men gift each other these cakes.
Amarante is a deeply conservative town in Portugal, but any mention of it is incomplete without these sweets. So, how did this religious town become associated with these penis cakes? Amarante is a deeply religious town in northern Portugal. Photo: Getty Images
The origin of the cakes is a mystery at best. The saint who gave his name to them is a Dominican friar who moved to Amarante after travelling through Jerusalem and Rome.
It was the 12th Century when Sao Goncalo settled in Amarante. He became instrumental in the development of the region. Sao Goncalo is inseparable from Amarante; be it its architecture, mythology, or these phallic cakes. The main bridge in Amarante is Ponte de Sao Goncalo, also named after the saint. Photo: Author
In cafes around the city centre, you will find doces falicos in various sizes. From bite-sized ones to bigger, harder ones; the cafeterias go wild with their creativity when it comes to these cakes. The sweets are sprinkled with icing sugar. Some of them also have a white cream filling (to make the pastry more suggestive than it is? who knows?).
These pastries hold a unique place in the local culture and folklore of Amarante. Sao Goncalo, the town's patron saint, is known as the "matchmaker saint". No one knows how this Dominican friar became Portugal's Matchmaker-in-Chief, but the Sao Goncalo festival, held in January, celebrates his role in helping people find love and marriage. The church and monastery of Sao Goncalo. Photo: Author
The cakes are said to be a symbol of virility and fertility (no surprises there). Traditionally, single women looking for a husband would gift these cakes to possible suitors, and vice versa. The gesture is symbolic, although folks in Amarante will sing paeans to you about the cakes' power. They are supposed to bring good luck, along with a husband, approved by Sao Goncalo.
For many years, Amarante celebrated fertility and marriage with its phallic cakes. Till about a hundred years ago. On the first Saturday of June every year, Amarante celebrates a day of love, fertility and marriage. Photo: Getty Images
In the 1920s, when the right-wing dictatorship took control of Portugal, these cakes were banned. But the people of Amarante kept their cake-making tradition going.
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For half a century, the residents of Amarante baked and exchanged these cakes in secret, as a symbol of resistance against the diktat that termed Bolos de S£o Gonçalo 'obscene'.
On April 25, 1974, a military coup overthrew dictator Estado Novo's government. Portugal became a democracy.
In the small town of Amarante, Bolos de Sao Goncalo was once again part of life.
Today, these cakes are ubiquitous in the town. Nearly every cafe serves them. You can find small ones for a euro, and larger ones that cost more. Biting into one will remind you of a cross between a pastry and a cream roll. It is very sweet. These pastries are also called doces falicos, or phallic cakes, literally. Photo: Getty Images
If you don't have much of a sweet tooth, fall back on the strong Portuguese coffee to down it with. Alternatively, a glass of Douro Valley vinho-verde, or white wine, will do the trick, as you think about the prospects of Saint Goncalo's 'testicles' finding a husband for you.
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FACT SHEET
Where: Amarante is a 50-minute drive out of Porto in Portugal. All major tour operators have day trips to Amarante from Porto, on the way to Douro Valley.
What to do and see: Amarante is a very small town that you can cover on foot in less than two hours. Ponte de Sao Goncalo at sunset. Photo: Getty Images
The main bridge in the town, Ponte de Sao Goncalo is unmissable, and leads to Igreja de Sao Goncalo and the Sao Goncalo monastery. Both the church and monastery date back to the 16th-17th century.
You will find a range of pastries and other sweets in most cafes in town. Find a cafe by the Tamega river to enjoy a cup of coffee and doces falicos, before you say goodbye to the town.
