A kiss in Tomar

Senhor Henrique was 16 years old when he was caught kissing 13-year-old María at the bakery where they both worked in the town of Tomar.

The kiss was denounced, and they had to get married.

Today, at ages 85 and 82 respectively, the marriage still lasts … but that kiss back when they were kids has gone on to mark their lives for eternity.

For the first two years of marriage, Henrique didn't live with his wife … in fact, he barely set eyes on her. He went to Lisbon to work. When he returned to Tomar, he continued working as a pastry cook until he opened his own pastry shop in 1960 called Estrelas de Tomar. He's been there ever since. 

But back to that kiss: For the last 60 years, Henrique's pastelaría became famous for a cake that pays homage to that peck between him and his wife, a little something sweet that today is a symbol of the city of Tomar called Beija-me Depress … in English, “Kiss Me Quickly.” From the "Neighbours" section of Portugal Living Magazine's Summer Issue

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