The Design of Portuguese Semi-Industrial Confectionery

No one takes cakes more seriously than the Portuguese: every morning, countless one-portion, sweet pastries fill the counters of cafés and stores across the country in a myriad of shapes, doughs, fillings, creams, jams and colors. These semi-industrial cakes are neither precious confections nor factory-made sweets—anonymously made, yet often displaying highly creative designs. Fabrico Próprio means “own production” or “made on premises,” and is a term used on shop signs, windows and packaging as a warrant of baking freshness and quality. This 332-page, hardcover book dedicated to Portuguese confectionery and its relation to design contains an encyclopedic record of sweets accompanied by written and photo essays by architecture and food critics, commissioned illustrations, and much more. Join design critic Akiko Busch in conversation with authors Rita João, Pedro Ferreira, and Frederico Duarte, as well as designer and food blogger behind FeastingNeverStops Naz Sahin, on the intersections between confectionery, culture, and design.