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Brites de Almeida, also known as the Baker of Aljubarrota, was a Portuguese heroine of legend. An impressive woman with six fingers on each hand, the stories told of her harrowing adventures against Algerian pirates, her time as a muleteer, and her travels through Portugal disguised as a man. She settled in Aljubarrota to become a baker and married a local farmer.

According to legend, Brites became a symbol of Portugal’s independence after the Castilians’ defeat in the Battle of Aljubarrota. She took up arms to fight back the last of the fleeing Castilian soldiers and defend her home and her people. When she returned to her bakery, she discovered enemies within. She killed the soldiers with her shovel, then cooked them in her oven with the day’s bread.

That was her legend, but this is her story.