Trouxas de Ovos das Caldas

Description: Egg bundles are prepared with eggs and sugar. They look like bright yellow rolls, dipped in a sugar syrup. They measure about 5 cm, have a diameter of about 3 cm and weigh 90 g. In addi-tion to being sold individually, they are presented in low, round plas-tic boxes that contain the number of bundles that the customer wants to buy.

Region: Lisbon and Tagus Valley.

Special feature: Egg rolls soaked in sugar syrup.

History: Its origin or exact birth is not known, but the writer Eça de Queiroz (1845/1900) wrote, referring to this popular sweet: «... with my egg cartridge, I went up, melancholy, next to Dr. Margaride, Rua Nova do Carmo...»

Use: As an exquisite dessert. It is an expensive dessert that is mainly consumed on special occasions (banquets, weddings, Christmas parties, etc.). Currently the demand is greater given the greater mobility of people, especially in the summer. It is customary, when passing through Caldas, to bring a box of sweets to offer to family or friends.

Know-how: Bring the sugar to a boil in a saucepan with the water needed to dissolve it. When the syrup starts to stick to the fingers, remove the pan from the heat. In a small frying pan, place half a cup of syrup. When boiling, a spoonful of eggs is introduced, until it forms a cover. Return with a spatula, bring to a boil and remove. Trim the 'covers' and place the shavings in the centre, then roll up. The bundles are watered with plenty of syrup, leaving them that way until they are packed in their respective boxes.

Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001