In 1578 a Portuguese army under the command of Dom Sebastiao,invaded Marroco in North Africa and in the ensuig Battle of Alcacer-Quibir the Portugese were defeated and King Dom Sebastiao simply disappeared.
Since he left no heir to the throne, the Spaniards took the opportunity to annex Portugal in 1580 and till 1640 for 60 years Portugal was part of Spain. The :Portuguese aristocracy , however, were hoping that someday Dom Sebastiao will return to to claim the throne but in vain. During the 60 years of Spanish subjugation, whenever the Portuguese aristocracy met for dinner,the head chair (cabeceira ) was always kept empty meaning for Dom Sebastiao. They put a plate in front with a bread which was left untouched. In Goa too,I believe, some families followed the same custom . Students in Panjim who lived in boarding houses were quick to innovate. Whenever they were served with somewhat stale bread they quickly labelled it as Pao de Dom Sebastiao Antonio
