Production method:
Preparation of th mixture: During this stage, experience is crucial in determining the quality of the final product, as the baker needs to know when the mixture is ‘just right’.
Preparation and filling of the mould: The mould is lined with baking paper, which has to be carefully adjusted to fit. This requires skill and manual dexterity. The mixture is then poured into the mould, which also re-quires expertise and experience on the part of the baker.
Baking: A constant eye must be kept on the ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ while it is in the oven, as the amount of pito, a distinguishing characteristic, depends on the cooking time.
Cooling : Pão de Ló de Ovar is left to cool in the mould. Once it has cooled the paper is cut.
Special features: ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ can be distinguished from other bakery products by its ‘country loaf’ shape and the creamy, yellow, light, soft cake known as ló, with a fine golden-brown crust that is slightly moist, resulting from the artisanal methods used, and by the moist part inside, known as the pito.
Production area: The municipality of Ovar (civil parishes of Esmoriz, Cortegaça, Maceda, Arada, Ovar, São João, São Vicente and Vále-ga).
History: Pão de Ló de Ovar, whose history goes back to the late 18th century, is the direct result of the know-how required to prepare the mix-ture and bake it. Oral tradition has it that in the 19th century there were various families in Ovar making regional sweets, notably the famous ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’. In 1877, Marques Gomes, writing about Vila de Ovar in Aveiro e seu Distrito, said that ‘Aveiro’s rival sweets pão de ló and ovos molles are increasingly highly re-garded’. ‘Pão de Ló de Ovar’ gained renown as a traditional Portuguese sweet and this was clearly because of its high quality and the fact that over time the market began to expand.
Product specification (pdf)
Producer group
APPO – Associação de Produtores de Pão de Ló de Ovar
Control and certification body
ALS LIFE SCIENCES PORTUGAL, S.A
Control plan
Control plan (pdf)
Publication in EU official journal
Regulamento de Execução (UE) 2016/1407 da Comissão - 12.08.2016
Documento Único (2016/C 141/08) – 22.04.2016
Publication in the Portuguese official journal
Aviso (extrato) n.º 8288/2016 de 01.07.2016
Despacho n.º 10249/2015 de 15.09.2015
Aviso (extrato) n.º 4330/2015 de 22.04.2015
Aviso n.º 11540/2013 de 16.09.2013