Pastelaria Moderna will close before Christmas and the products that marked generations in Barreiro are running out quickly. Customers rush to secure the last balls of butter, the last palmiers and the last king cake that will never come out of the oven again. This will be the first time in 55 years that the city spends Christmas without Moderna’s king cake and without many of the sweets that have become part of the local tradition.
According to the New in Barreiro portal, the closure was confirmed by the employees who remain at the counter, at a time when demand has visibly increased. They say that the balls of butter disappear in a few hours and that many customers take large quantities to freeze and keep as a memory.
Queues to buy a souvenir
According to the same source, the bakery does not have an official closing date, but the guarantee is that it will not reach the 25th. Customers share photos, stories and goodbyes on social media, transforming the establishment’s page into a space of anticipated nostalgia.
Butterballs are the calling card of space
The publication adds that barred palmiers and chocolate tarts still remain in the shop windows, but for a short time.
Even so, the greatest symbol continues to be the large ball of butter, considered by many to be part of Barreiro’s identity. The same source says that there are people who only recognize the city for this specific sweet.
55 years of open doors and a history that remains
Remember that Moderna was founded in 1970 by João Maria Raimundo, who arrived in Barreiro as a teenager and started working in commerce from an early age. After the war in Angola and now back in the country, João Maria juggled two jobs until he managed to become the sole owner of the pastry shop. He was the one who perfected the recipe that would become the house’s calling card.
The closure of the space is also marked by the uncertainty surrounding the future of the property, one of the factors identified as determining the final decision.
When the doors close, the memory of more than half a century of daily production and the aroma of the pasta that accompanied mornings, afternoons and celebrations of several generations will remain. Barreiro is preparing for a different Christmas, with empty shop windows where there used to be queues.
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