Odivelas Monastery Esquecidos
Also known as: Odivelas Forgotten Biscuits · Odivelas Monastery Esquecidos
The pale convent biscuit preserved in Odivelas monastery's last nun's recipe book.
- Origin
- Odivelas · Monastery of São Dinis and São Bernardo
- Place
- Odivelas · Monastery of São Dinis and São Bernardo
- Region
- Lisbon
- Category
- Convent Sweets
- Season
- Year-round · convent-sweets fairs
- Evidence
- Well documented
Esquecidos de Odivelas are small dry cakes of eggs, sugar and flour, shaped by hand and baked on trays. The transcription of the monastery's last nun's notebook instructs the baker to beat yolks, whites and sugar into a thick pale batter, add flour gradually and roll small pieces in flour before baking.
The heavily beaten mixture produces a light texture and a pale-to-golden, slightly cracked surface. The historic ingredient list also names cocoa powder without explaining in the method how or in what quantity it is used; this ambiguity is preserved rather than inventing a coating.
- egg yolks
- egg whites
- sugar
- wheat flour
- butter for the tray
- cocoa powder named in the historic recipe
Sweet and distinctly egg-rich, with a light interior firmer than sponge cake, a dry crust and a simple baked aroma.
Modern recipes reduce the quantities, add lemon, cinnamon or salt and may shape the dough into an ‘S’. The historic Odivelas formula documented here uses eight yolks, two whites, sugar and about 750 grams of flour; it should not be merged with Portugal's many other regional biscuits called esquecidos.
Look for them at Odivelas convent-sweets events and local shops near the monastery. Permanent production is not confirmed by a current municipal list, so contact the tourism office or bakery before visiting.
Black tea, coffee or a fortified wine, which balance the cake's dryness.
The Monastery of São Dinis and São Bernardo, founded by King Dinis, made Odivelas an important centre of convent confectionery. The monastery portal includes Esquecidos among the house's thirteen original and most celebrated recipes, transcribed from its last resident nun's notebook and published in ‘The Recipe Book of the Last Nun of Odivelas’.
The present municipal tourism guide still includes Esquecidos in Odivelas's food memory. Their Seven Wonders of Portuguese Sweets entry placed them among the 420 nominees of 2019 in the Biscuits and Dry Cakes category.
Well documented
Identity supported by institutional, specialist or corroborating sources.
- mosteirodeodivelas.org/receitas-do-mosteiro/ (opens in a new tab)
- cm-odivelas.pt/descubra-odivelas/gastronomia-e-artesanato/gastronomia (opens in a new tab)
- cm-odivelas.pt/cmodivelas/uploads/links_list_item/document/123/guia_turistico_fev2020.pdf (opens in a new tab)
- arqnet.pt/dicionario/docaria.html (opens in a new tab)
- gazetarural.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/7-Maravilhas-Doces-de-Portugal-Lista-de-Nomeados.pdf (opens in a new tab)
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