Papo-de-anjo is a traditional Portuguese dessert made from egg yolks and sugar syrup, often served during the holiday season. The recipe involves beating egg whites and yolks separately, baking in muffin tins, and coating in sugar syrup. It is believed to have been created by nuns and monks in the 14th or 15th century.
Portugal is known for many savory dishes, including the traditional dessert known as papo-de-anjo. Translated, this Portuguese dish is called angel’s double chin. It consists of a small cake or a frothy whipped cream made from egg yolks and sugar syrup. The treat is also known as syrup egg cakes.
Most papo-de-anjo recipes call for whipped egg whites. As a result, the volume of egg whites should double. An average recipe may call for 7 to 10 egg yolks; some recipes may call for a few egg whites, typically 1 to 2 for every 10 eggs used.
A basic papo-de-anjo recipe can be made with 8 egg yolks, 2 egg whites, softened butter, sugar, water and vanilla extract. The pastries are typically prepared in a kind of muffin that has been coated with butter. Both yolks and egg whites should be beaten, albeit separately. After being fitted and thickened, they can be combined.
Once thoroughly mixed together, the egg mixture can be added to muffin tins. The pans should then be placed inside a baking tray, which should then be filled halfway with boiling hot water. After 20 minutes of cooking, the dough, now fully developed as small cakes, must be allowed to cool. The rest of the ingredients are combined to form a simple sugar syrup in which the cakes will be dipped and fully coated.
The finished papo-de-anjo cakes are typically covered and refrigerated. They should be kept within the sugar syrup to allow the flavors to fully penetrate the cakes. Finished papo-de-anjo treats can be served after three or more hours of refrigeration.
Many different Portuguese desserts are based on this same recipe. Treats like fios de ovos, or angel hair, are also made with eggs and sugar. It is popularly served during the holiday season alongside fruit and turkey. These desserts are also popular in Japan, Brazil and Spain. A traditional way to eat these pastries in Portugal is to accompany them with a dessert wine, such as port.
Egg dishes from Portugal are thought to have been created by nuns and monks during the 14th or 15th century. Rather than intentional confection, however, they are thought to be a byproduct of the washing process. Since medieval washings sometimes called for egg whites to starch the clothes, a surplus of yolks often resulted. These yolks were then experimented with and made into delicacies with the addition of a few other simple ingredients.
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