Queijada de Sintra in Lisbon

The Queijada is a Sintra fresh-cheese tartlet, a 13th-century recipe of curd, sugar, eggs and cinnamon in a thin pastry shell. Eaten in fours, never alone.

The story of Queijada de Sintra

The Queijada de Sintra is documented in Sintra royal accounts as far back as the 13th century, the convent recipe using fresh sheep curd, eggs, sugar and cinnamon held in a thin wheat pastry. Queijadas da Sapa traces its industrial production to Maria Sapa, who settled in Ranholas in 1756 and later moved her ovens to Volta do Duche, where the family has baked the same recipe for generations. The little tartlets travel poorly, so eating them in Sintra warm from the oven, in groups of four wrapped in paper, is part of the day trip.

How to make Queijada de Sintra

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 200g fresh sheep curd or ricotta, well-drained
• 150g sugar
• 3 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg
• 30g flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Zest of half a lemon
• 1 sheet shortcrust pastry, 250g

Method

1. Cut pastry into 8cm rounds, line a mini-muffin tin.
2. Mash curd with sugar until smooth, stir in eggs one at a time.
3. Sift in flour and cinnamon, fold in zest.
4. Fill pastry cases three quarters full.
5. Bake at 200C for 18 minutes until the tops crack and centres are set.
6. Cool in the tin five minutes, ease out, eat warm.

Editor tip. If the cheese is wet, the queijadas will collapse, drain it through cheesecloth for an hour first.

The editor-picked rooms for Queijada de Sintra in Lisbon are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Lisbon signature-dishes index or the Lisbon food guide.