Ovos Moles de Aveiro PGI

Description: Ovos Moles de Aveiro’ is a product obtained by the addition of raw egg yolk to sugar syrup. They may be put up for sale as they are, wrapped in Communion-type wafer, which may or may not be coated with a fine layer of sugar syrup or chocolate, or packaged directly in wooden or china barrels. They may also be marketed deep-frozen. Their colour is uniform, ranging from yellow to orange, shiny all over and not very intense,their complex aroma is of egg yolk developing towards a characteristic odour containing aromas as var-ied as caramel, cinnamon and dried fruit, as a result of the chemical reactions during cooking between the sugar and the components of the egg yolk.

Production method: Preparation of the sugar syrup. Incorporation of the raw separated egg yolks into the sugar syrup. Cooking the dough (mixture of egg yolks with sugar syrup). Cooling and resting the dough. Filling the wafers or wooden or china barrels. Coating the wafers with sugar syrup or with chocolate.

Special features: ‘Ovos Moles de Aveiro’ are special because of the basic raw materials with which they are produced — eggs and sugar — and from the local know-how, because the egg yolks are added to the sugar syrup in a way that resembles the rowing movement of the tradi-tional boats, ‘moliceiros’, in the Aveiro lagoon.

Production area: From an administrative point of view, the area covers the districts of Águeda, Albergaria-a-Velha, Aveiro, Estarreja, Ílhavo, Mira, Murtosa, Oliveira de Frades, Ovar,S. Pedro do Sul, Sever do Vouga, Tondela, Vagos  and Vouzela.

History: ‘Ovos Moles de Aveiro’ have been manufactured for centuries. The tradition of manufacturing the product, which originated in convents, was maintained by ladies who had a convent education and passed the secret of its manufacture from generation to generation.
There are documents showing that, in 1502, King Manuel I granted 10 ‘arrobas’ of Madeira sugar per year to the Convent of Jesus in Aveiro for the manufacture of confectionery products in the convent, which at the time was used to help patients during their convalescence. ‘Ovos Moles de Aveiro’ are referred to in 1908 as a dessert dish for royalty, are expressly mentioned in 1888 by the great Portuguese writer Eça de Queiroz in ‘The Maias’ and ‘The Capital’ and by the great Brazilian author Erico Veríssimo, who mentions the product in ‘Solo de Clarineta-Memórias’ [Clarinet Solo], in 1973. The chocolate-coated Ovos Moles are also referred to in ‘O Doce nunca amargou… doçaria portuguesa. História. Decoração. Receituário’ [The sweet that never turned sour…Portuguese confectionery. History. Decoration. Recipes] by Emanuel Ribeiro, in 1928.

Product specification (pdf)

Geographical area

Producer group
APOMA – Associação de Produtores de Ovos Moles de Aveiro

Control and certification body
Kiwa Sativa – Unipessoal, Lda.

Control plan
Control plan (pdf)

Publication in EU official journal
Regulamento (CE) nº 286/2009 da Comissão – L94/15 – 08.04.2009
Publicação do pedido de registo (2008/C 184/11) – C184/42 – 22.07.2008
Regulamento (UE) nº 2015/1743 da Comissão – L256/1 – 01.10.2015
Publicação do pedido de registo (2015/C 170/9) – C170/10 – 23.05.2015