Régua Ferreirinha Bonbons

Maria do Céu Pires created the Ferreirinha in Peso da Régua as a tribute to Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira—the Douro entrepreneur known as Ferreirinha—and, through her, to the Douro women who passed down cooking knowledge and sustained regional life. Published sources disagree on the exact date: a municipal account reproduced in 2012 described five years of production, while a later collection claimed roughly twenty years of history in 2015. It is safe to call it a contemporary creation, but not to assign a year without further documentation.

A Douro Alliance guide recorded its ingredients, presentation and the recommendation to wait a day or two so the wine and raisins deepen in flavour. In 2019, Peso da Régua’s Ferreirinhas entered the Seven Sweet Wonders of Portugal and were among the sweets selected at Vila Real district level. Present-day production and demonstrations by Doces do Céu confirm the creation’s continuity.