Económicos

Fluffy within but on the dry side — a biscuit made to keep — with a golden top where the egg yolk has gilded and the sugar caramelised. The sweetness is moderate and homely, threaded with the warm scent of aguardente and cinnamon, over the mellow body that olive oil and milk give the dough.

Every household has its own version: some use only olive oil, others add butter or vegetable oil; some add orange juice, lemon zest or aniseed, and some prefer to dust with sugar alone rather than cinnamon. The almond on top — once common because almond trees were plentiful in the fields — is now kept for the more special batches. Across the Beiras and Trás-os-Montes you find very close relatives under other names, such as the azeiteiros and the sodos.

These are a sweet of the home and the festa more than of the pastry shop, so the best place to try them is a romaria or country fair in the Beira Alta, or a regional family's table around Easter. In historic villages such as Almeida and Castelo Mendo, the recipe has been revived and shared as part of the local culinary heritage.

They call for a coffee or a cup of tea at the afternoon lanche; on a festa day they go well with a small glass of Port, a Moscatel, or the very aguardente that scents their dough. In the Beira Alta they are sometimes served with Serra da Estrela cheese, too.