[1][2][a] Historically, these sweet breads were generally reserved for festive occasions such as Easter or Pentecost and were typically given as gifts.

[7] Outside of Portugal, Portuguese "sweet bread" translated as "pão doce" is often associated with Azorean "massa sovada" which are similar but traditionally prepared differently.

[10] Many traditional Portuguese sweet breads are defined by the associated region or by the convents, artisan bakers or religious confraternities (similar to a guild) that historically made them.

Since many have deep historical and cultural significance to the area which they originate from, these breads are as well as other foods and ingredients are inventoried by the Portuguese governmental office Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DGARD), which collaborates with a collective of independent confraternities known as the Portuguese Federation of Gastronomic Confraternities (FPCG) throughout Portugal.

They are also found in other former colonies including Brazil, Macau, India, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the island of Timor.