In the quaint town of Amarante, nestled on the banks of the Tamega River in northern Portugal, a unique tradition thrives amidst a deeply conservative backdrop. Known for its distinctive phallic-shaped cakes, or Bolos de São Gonçalo, this small town of 11,000 residents has woven these symbolic pastries into its cultural fabric. These cakes are celebrated during two major festivals: the first Saturday of June and January 10, marking São Gonçalo’s death anniversary.
The Bolos de São Gonçalo, colloquially referred to as doces fálicos, are not merely pastries but carry significant cultural and historical connotations. Each year in June, local bakeries and grandmothers produce these cakes in abundance, which are exchanged as gifts between young men and women. Despite Amarante’s conservative nature, these cakes are an integral part of its identity.
The origins of these phallic cakes remain shrouded in mystery. They are named after São Gonçalo, a 12th-century Dominican friar who played a pivotal role in Amarante’s development after traveling through Jerusalem and Rome. São Gonçalo is deeply ingrained in the town’s architecture, mythology, and traditions.
Cafés throughout Amarante offer these sweets in various sizes and shapes, often with creative and suggestive presentations. The pastries, typically sprinkled with icing sugar and sometimes filled with white cream, are symbols of virility and fertility. Traditionally, single women would gift these cakes to potential suitors, hoping for good luck and a husband approved by São Gonçalo, the town’s patron saint and matchmaker.
For many years, the phallic cakes of Amarante were celebrated openly until the 1920s, when Portugal’s right-wing dictatorship banned them. Despite this, the residents of Amarante continued to bake and exchange these cakes in secret, symbolizing resistance against the regime’s suppression.
The ban was lifted following the April 25, 1974, military coup that overthrew the dictatorship and established democracy in Portugal. Since then, Bolos de São Gonçalo have re-emerged as a ubiquitous feature of Amarante’s culture. Today, nearly every café in town serves these cakes, available in various sizes and price ranges. The cakes, resembling a cross between a pastry and a cream roll, are notably sweet and are often enjoyed with strong Portuguese coffee or a glass of Douro Valley vinho-verde (white wine).
Amarante’s main bridge, Ponte de São Gonçalo, is a landmark that leads to the Igreja de São Gonçalo and the São Gonçalo Monastery, both dating back to the 16th-17th centuries. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy a cup of coffee and a doce fálico by the Tamega River before bidding farewell to this charming town.
