Cabrela Ribbon Fritters

Filhós de Cabrela is not a flat disc. Its dough is rolled very thin, cut with a traditional cartilha and folded or coiled into broad loose ribbons. In the fryer, those loops open into irregular rosettes full of hollow spaces, triangular flaps and blisters. The result is large but light, golden and extremely crisp.

Flour, eggs, fat, aguardente, orange and salt form the base; family formulas add olive oil, butter or lard and sometimes aniseed. Once fried, the filhó may be finished with sugar or honey. Production remains highly manual: kneading, rolling, cutting and shaping each piece are the gestures that determine its texture and silhouette.