Vila de Rei Almond Pudding
Also known as: Vila de Rei Pudding · Vila de Rei Almond Pudding
Vila de Rei almond pudding rich in yolks and scented with citrus.
- Origin
- Vila de Rei · Pinhal Interior Sul
- Region
- Vila de Rei · Castelo Branco
- Season
- Year-round, especially at local meals and festivals
Pudim de Vila de Rei is a dense, moist baked pudding built from sugar syrup, finely pounded almonds and a generous proportion of egg yolks. Two whole eggs lighten the mixture, while orange or lemon zest cuts through the sweetness with a fresh aroma.
Unlike a milk flan unmoulded beneath caramel, the known historic recipe simply calls for a buttered mould. The result resembles a low pudding-cake, golden outside and intensely yellow when cut.
- unrefined sugar
- ground almonds
- egg yolks
- whole eggs
- orange or lemon zest
- butter for the mould
Very sweet, dense and moist, with pronounced almond, rich yolk and a citrus finish.
The handwritten recipe allows either orange or lemon zest. Mould and baking level may vary between households, but almonds and yolks define the local identity.
At restaurants and food events in Vila de Rei municipality; availability may be seasonal or by order.
Unsweetened coffee or a small glass of the region's medronho spirit.
The municipality lists this pudding among Vila de Rei's typical sweets, beside rice pudding, tigelada, bolos fintos and honey broas. A survey of Portugal's rural territories describes it specifically as rich in almonds and yolks.
A handwritten recipe titled “Pudim de Villa Rei” also survives in a family collection, annotated with a reference to the Convent of Graça in Abrantes. A convent origin is not definitively proven, but the document preserves an old formula measured in arrátel and quarta.
Sources: cm-viladerei.pt · oldwww.animar-dl.pt · asreceitasdaavohelena.blogspot.com
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