Fogaça da Feira PGI

Description: Fogaça da Feira PGI is a sweet bun with a delicate flavour and aroma of lemon and cinnamon; it is brown on the outside and conical in shape with four miniature ‘towers’ at the top. It consists of loose, light dough, slightly yellowish in colour, which has small perforations and is crispy on the outside. It may be sold packaged, in bulk or frozen, in various sizes, provided that the height is no more and no less than 35 % of the diameter of the base. It may also be sold in halves and/or sliced.

Production method: To make the cones, the dough must always be wound round in the same direction, from bottom to top. This stage depends entirely on local expertise — in judging the weather conditions (which can affect the ripeness of the dough) and having the manual dexterity required to achieve the characteristic shape. During baking, the fogaças are taken out of the oven and the little ‘towers’ are flicked out towards the edge by hand so that they stand upright. The fogaças are then put back in the oven until they are ready. This operation is crucial for ensuring that the heat penetrates to the inside, so that the fogaças bake evenly and the crumb is loose and light, because they have been cooked at just the right temperature for the right time. This is essential in order to ensure that the fogaças have the requisite appearance, with the ‘towers’ of the Castle of Santa Maria da Feira at the top, and judging exactly when to do it is a question of experience and intuition.

Special features: The specific characteristics of Fogaça da Feira PGI, notably its conical shape, derive from its strong link with the geographical area and local expertise: mixing the ingredients, kneading the dough, rolling it into a long sausage shape and then flattening it and shaping it into a cone. Finally, cuts are made at the top to form the four towers of the Castle of Santa Maria da Feira — it is these which clearly distinguish ‘Fogaça da Feira’ from other types of sweet bun.

Production area: Fogaça da Feira PGI is produced within the Municipality of Santa Maria da Feira.

History: Hence the Festa das Fogaçeiras, a long-established religious festival held in Santa Maria da Feira. The Festa das Fogaceiras is a centuries-old tradition and the year 2005 marked its quincentenary. For five hundred years the local people have remained steadfast in their devotion and today it is Santa Maria da Feira’s most important festival. The importance of Fogaça da Feira PGI in Santa Maria da Feira has been known for centuries, and there are references linking the fogaça to the inquiries of 1220 ordered by Alfonso II in the Terra de Santa Maria, as the area was then called, the region’s administrative and military base, whose headquarters were Vila da Feira and its castle, which inspired the shape.

Product specification (pdf)

Geographical area

Producer group
Agrupamento de Produtores de Fogaça da Feira

Control and certification body
ALS LIFE SCIENCES PORTUGAL, S.A

Control plan
Control plan (pdf)

Publication in EU official journal
Publicação do Documento Único – C58/45 13.02.2016
Regulamento de Execução (UE) 2016/930 da Comissão de 1 de junho

Publication in the Portuguese official journal
Despacho n.º 9532/2015, de 21.08.2015
Aviso (extrato) n.º 4260/2015, de 21.04.2014
Aviso n.º 13704/2014, de 09.12.2014
Aviso (extrato) nº. 4260/2015