Trouxas da Malveira

Description: Cakes made with flour, eggs and sugar, filled with a cream made with flour, milk, eggs, vanilla and nuts. The cakes are pillow-shaped with 8,5 to 5,5 cm and weigh about 80 g. The thick-ness of the dough is about 8 mm. Sold in boxes of 6 or 4 or even indi-vidually.

Region: Lisbon and Tagus Valley.

Other denominations: Pies or Fluffy Pillows.

Special feature: pillow-shaped cakes, filled with vanilla cream and nuts.

History: Amândio Quinto studied these cakes and came to the conclusion that their origin was the Convent of Odivelas, from where they would have come by the hand of two ladies from that convent. A popular chant states: «Buy bundles from Malveira / Delight that enchants us / Don't forget to take / Bundles for your "saint"». This chant was reproduced on the inside of the cardboard boxes where Muggles were sold.

Use: This treat can be eaten at any time of the day.

Know-how: A pie dough is prepared, like sponge cake, with eggs, flour and sugar. It is cut into rectangles that are filled with cream made with milk, corn flour, eggs and nuts (especially almonds). This recipe, which, having been the original, has been adulterated, is now being recovered by the heiress house of the two ladies previously mentioned as coming from the convent.

Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001