Portugal’s Secret Treat – Chocolate Salame

Friends who have done their homework are always keen to try a pastel de nata (a kind of flaky pastry/egg custard delight) when they first visit us in Portugal. This celebrated national treat has managed to cross international boundaries and is now widely available in England, thanks to the restaurant chain Nando’s. Thus many friends who come to stay with us want to try an authentic Portuguese pastel de nata.

Interestingly though, when it comes to the sweet treat that our guests tend to buy the most of, the treasured pastel de nata has to step aside. Instead, the lesser known chocolate salame wins the day. Granted, it doesn’t have the most appealing name – it conjures up images of some kind of salami and chocolate combination which really doesn’t sound tempting. But get past the name and you will discover one of Portugal’s sweetest delights.

Chocolate salame is so called because of its appearance when sliced. It’s a roll of thick, chocolatey goodness mixed with eggs, sugar and butter, and shot through with pieces of Maria biscuit (similar to Rich Teas) and sprinkled with sugar on top. The result is a delight for the taste buds – very sweet and perfect for a quick snack.

Chocolate salame – perfect for sharing

Sold in individual slices and larger bars, chocolate salame is something that I would encourage everyone visiting Portugal to try. Be warned though – you might end up being unable to stop at just one slice…

Image credit: Wikipedia