Areias de Cascais — the 'sands' of Cascais — are the town's signature sweet: small, round butter biscuits rolled in sugar, so short and crumbly that they dissolve like sand, which gives them their name.
They have been made here since the 19th century, when Cascais's first resort age filled the town with tea houses, and the recipe — flour, butter, sugar, little else — has barely moved since. Pastelarias in the old town sell them by the bag and the box, and they keep well, which makes them the natural Cascais souvenir.
With an espresso, mid-afternoon, a few areias are the local pause between beach and seafront walk.
⭐ Imprescindible:
Areias de Cascais
Destacados
- Small butter biscuits rolled in sugar
- Crumble like sand — hence the name
- Baked in Cascais since the 19th century
- Sold by the bag in old town pastelarias
- The natural edible souvenir of the town
Preguntas frecuentes
What do areias taste like?
Pure butter shortbread — lightly sweet, intensely crumbly, made for coffee.
Where do I buy them?
Traditional pastelarias in the old town sell them fresh by the bag or boxed to take home.