Paper-Thin Cacos Biscuits

Cacos are extraordinarily thin square biscuits, almost transparent when held to the light. Each piece measures roughly six to seven centimetres but weighs only four to six grams. Its surface is smooth or faintly marked by tiny blisters, with golden edges that break in a dry snap.

One currently documented commercial formula uses flour, butter, sugar, milk and bicarbonate of soda. The dough is rolled into a minimal sheet and cut into squares before baking; there is no filling, icing or powdered sugar. The difficulty lies precisely in achieving even thinness without losing the biscuit's fragile character.

Their name suits the thin, irregular fragments created when they break. They are served with coffee or tea and handled carefully to avoid turning the plate into a pile of little 'shards'.