Tigelada

Sweet but balanced, with the citrus perfume of lemon and the warmth of cinnamon cutting through the richness of the eggs. Outside, a golden, lightly scorched skin; inside, a trembling, silky custard, somewhere between a baked pudding and a sweet omelette. Served warm or cold, always in its clay bowl.

The main recipe publishes the technical formula identified as “Beira Baixa.” Abrantes, Proença-a-Nova, Lousã, Arganil, Pampilhosa da Serra and Oliveira do Hospital retain their own identities or recipes; some use lemon, cinnamon, honey, goat's milk or different flours. Variants should be compared without transferring one town's ingredients to another.

Look for it in the pastry shops and restaurants of Castelo Branco and Proença-a-Nova, and its well-documented cousin in Abrantes, especially those baked in a wood-fired oven and served in their own clay bowl. At Beira Baixa fairs and festivals it appears in individual dishes; the real thing is known by its cracked skin and oven aroma, not by a caramel topping.

It needs little to shine: a strong coffee or a small glass of a regional fortified wine, such as a Moscatel. It rounds off a hearty lunch nicely, when you want something sweet but without the heaviness of cream.