Cavacas de Resende

Description: The cakes, which measure about 5 cm long by 2,5 cm wide and 2 cm thick, are made with whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar and flour. They are, after cooking, covered with a syrup of sugar and flour, which gives them a white color on the outside and yellow on the inside.

Region: North.

Special feature: White cakes, which is due to the sugar coating.

History: The Cavacas de Resende have been known since time immemorial, with the Cavacas do Rópia having been very famous. Ac-cording to Joaquim Caetano, they are made almost exclusively with eggs and sugar. About the Cavacas there is a testimony from the end of the nineteenth century that reports: «Early in the morning, the confectioners spread on the towel, all fringed with lace, various sweets very covered in sugar that aroused the greed of the pilgrim. Who could resist that "oh parish, don't you go half arrátel? Look that they are from Resende"».

Use: A delicacy that can be eaten at any time of the day, especially at fairs and pilgrimages in the region.

Know-how: Although it is practically not possible to get from the manufacturers either the proportions or the exact way to make it, it is known that the Cavacas are kneaded in a handmade hand-moved device that is known as a "bench". Very fresh eggs are usually used, bought from the surrounding farms, and the Cavacas are cooked in the traditional wood oven used for cornbread.

Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001