Arcos de Valdevez Egg-Sweet Cigars
Also known as: Arcos Cigar Pastries · Arcos Egg-Yolk Cigars
Crisp white wafer tubes filled with almond-rich Portuguese egg sweet.
- Origin
- Arcos de Valdevez · Minho
- Place
- Arcos de Valdevez
- Region
- The North
- Category
- Convent Sweets
- Season
- Year-round; traditional during festive periods
- Evidence
- Well documented
Charutos de Arcos de Valdevez are cylindrical, about 8 centimetres long and 2 centimetres wide. A paper-thin crisp white wafer surrounds a creamy yellow filling of sugar, almonds, yolks, butter and lemon peel; each piece weighs roughly 40 grams.
Sugar syrup is cooked to thread stage, then combined with ground almonds, yolks, butter and lemon. Once cool, the cream is placed on wafers made simply from water and flour and rolled into the characteristic cigar shape.
- sugar
- almonds
- egg yolks
- butter
- lemon peel
- wheat flour
- water
A rich egg-and-almond centre scented with lemon, held in a dry brittle wafer.
Fillings include plain egg sweet, egg with almond, and egg with chila squash preserve.
At traditional confectioners in Arcos de Valdevez, year-round and especially at celebrations.
Espresso, green tea or a late-harvest Vinho Verde.
Francisca Doceira founded Doçaria Central in Arcos de Valdevez in 1830. The business remained in the family, while the sweet's patent was only registered in 1963. Its costly ingredients made Charutos particularly associated with festive days.
Well documented
Identity supported by institutional, specialist or corroborating sources.
- tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/pt/cat/doces-e-produtos-de-pastelaria/756-charutos (opens in a new tab)
- visitarcos.pt/o-melhor/gastronomia-e-vinhos/doces/charutos-dos-arcos (opens in a new tab)
- cmav.pt/viver/desenvolvimento-humano-e-comunitario/vez-de-igualdade/noticia-34/charutos-de-ovos-de-arcos-de-valdevez-o-doce-do-alto-minho (opens in a new tab)
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