Rolled Alentejo Filhós
Also known as: Rolled Filhós · Vila Viçosa rolled filhós
Thin pastry ribbons fried into spirals and glazed with sugar syrup or honey.
- Origin
- Alentejo · Carnival tradition
- Place
- Alentejo · also Vila Viçosa
- Region
- The Alentejo
- Category
- Fried Sweets
- Season
- Carnival; Christmas and All Saints in Alter do Chão
- Evidence
- Well documented
Filhós Enrolada is an Alentejo fritter shaped like a snail or rose. Elastic pastry strips about 20 by 7 centimetres are progressively wound around the tines of a long fork as they fry, creating thin, irregular, blistered layers.
The dough uses eggs, lard, butter, aguardente, sugar, salt and flour, sometimes with orange juice. Once golden, the spirals are coated in sugar syrup or honey; they may alternatively be finished with cinnamon sugar.
- eggs
- wheat flour
- lard
- butter
- aguardente
- sugar
- salt
- optional orange juice
- frying oil
- honey or syrup
Crisp and syrupy, with notes of butter, aguardente and orange between fine pastry layers.
It may be coated in sugar syrup, honey or simply cinnamon sugar. DGADR identifies a Vila Viçosa version; the Alentejo Charter records a related Alter do Chão formula using margarine, previously heated olive oil and orange juice, shaped with small sticks or metal tools.
At Carnival celebrations, fairs and traditional confectioners across the Alentejo, especially in the lower Alentejo and Vila Viçosa.
Espresso, orange tea or pennyroyal liqueur.
DGADR associates Filhós Enrolada with the abundant Carnival tables of the Alentejo: it was prepared on the preceding Thursday in quantities sufficient for the week, as a treat, gift and display of household skill. The Alentejo Gastronomic Charter, however, documents Filhoses de Enrolar in Alter do Chão for the Christmas and All Saints cycle. These records attest different local calendars for related fritters.
Well documented
Identity supported by institutional, specialist or corroborating sources.
- tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/pt/cat/doces-e-produtos-de-pastelaria/178-filhos-enrolada (opens in a new tab)
- visitalentejo.pt/fotos/editor2/pdfs/carta_gastronomica_do_alentejo.pdf (opens in a new tab)
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