After all, love is the secret of Piriquita's pillows
Bruno Cunha, owner of Casa da Piriquita
Amaro dos Santos, a baker by trade, and his wife Constância Gomes, must never have suspected the extraordinary legacy they would leave to future generations.
It hardly crossed their minds that their bakery would become the remarkable brand it is today, and all that it represents.
But it is with them that the success story of this magnificent family business begins, still in a time of kings and queens, at the height of the romanticism that can still be breathed in so many corners of the town of Sintra.
Piriquita's pillow is a pastry filled with dulce de leche with an almond touch.
This can be read on the Casa da Piriquita website:
"The name Piriquita comes from the nickname that King Carlos I gave Constância Gomes, based on her short stature. It was also this King who encouraged the couple to make the famous Queijadas, a sweet he enjoyed during his summers in Sintra. The success was immediate and the bakery soon became a pastry shop";
"In the 1940s, while much of the world was falling apart, a new treasure was born in Sintra. Constança Luísa dos Santos Cunha, granddaughter of the founder, developed the Travesseiro, a pastry filled with dulce de leche and with an almond touch, but with a secret so well kept that only the immediate family has access to it."
Bruno Cunha is now the owner of Casa da Piriquita. Now in its sixth generation, the business thrives every year and its notoriety and brand recognition go beyond borders.
Casa da Piriquita has three physical stores in operation, one on Avenida de Roma in Lisbon and the others in Sintra.
Trying Piriquita's travesseiros is part of the itinerary of the thousands of tourists who visit Sintra every day. Between visits to Pena and the Palácio da Vila, a visit to Piriquita is customary.
Bruno Cunha recalls that the best definition of a pillow was said by his late father:
"Piriquita's pillows are made with love, which makes them the best cake in the world!"
Casa da Piriquita, with its fabulous travesseiros and queijadas, was one of the first Made in Sintra certifications.
For Bruno Cunha, the main purpose of Made in Sintra is to publicize everything that is done so well in the region but is almost unknown.
For this young entrepreneur, who has put his heart and soul into the family business started by his great-great-grandmother: the Made in Sintra label is a testament to what the region has to offer.