Fritos de Natal or SufganiyotFritos de Natal (Christmas fritters) or Sonhos (Doughnuts) in Portugal are sometimes suggested to be a crypto Jewish survival of Hanukkah fried sweets, preserved by New Christians after the Inquisition.The theory says that Jewish families kept the custom of frying dough in oil-central to Hanukkah-but rebranded it as a Christian Christmas food to avoid persecution. While Fritos de Natal are specifically a Christmas tradition (often in the Beira region), there is no religious explanation, no linkage to Christmas mass, no connection to saints, and is not referred to by church calendar guidelines. Although there’s no solid historical proof, the idea of crypto Jewish influence is plausible and widely discussed by historians and folklorists. Historians studying New Christian survival patterns look for traditions that: are time-bound, are process-focused, are communal and lack clear Christian symbolism. Filhós de Natal in interior Beiras tick all four boxes.Historians, scholars and folklorists aside, Fritos de Natal look conspicuously like sufganiyot.