Conventual sweets

Conventual sweets have always been present in the meals that were served in the convents, but only from the 15th century, with the dissemination and expansion of sugar, did they reach notoriety. Sugar cane production was tried in the Algarve, followed by Madeira in the 15th century. At the time Portugal was one of the largest egg producers in Europe and the excess amount of egg yolks was initially thrown away or given to animals as food. With the expansion of the Portuguese empire and the large-scale arrival of sugar from the Portuguese colonies, a new destination was given to the egg yolks. From the 16th century, the art of confectionery is cultivated, with great refinement, by almost all Monasteries and Convents in the country. From the middle of the 19th century, when the extinction of Religious Orders in Portugal was decreed, nuns and monks were faced with the need to raise money for their livelihood. The sale of Conventual sweets was one of the ways found to minimize their financial situation. These recipes were then passed from generation to generation and have since integrated in the Portuguese cuisine.[1][2][3][4]

Cavaca

Castanhas de Ovos

• Castanhas de Ovos
• Suspiro
• Cavaca
• Lampreia de ovos
• Pão-de-ló
• Toucinho do Céu
• Filhós
• Rabanadas
• Pastel de nata
• Fios de ovos
• Papo-de-anjo