Papo-de-anjo facts for kids
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| Course | Dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Portugal |
| Main ingredients | Egg yolks, sugar syrup |
Papo de anjo or papo-de-anjo is a special dessert from Portugal. Its name means "angel's double chin" in Portuguese! This sweet treat is mainly made from whipped egg yolks. First, the yolks are baked. Then, they are boiled in a sweet sugar syrup. It's a popular dessert in both Portugal and Brazil.
Contents
A Sweet History: Nuns and Eggs
Papo-de-anjo has a very interesting history. It is believed that Portuguese nuns created this dessert. This happened around the 14th or 15th centuries. Many old Portuguese sweets, like fios de ovos, also use a lot of egg yolks.
Why did nuns use so many egg yolks? Convents and monasteries often did laundry for people. They used egg whites to "starch" clothes. Starching made clothes stiff and smooth. Because they used so many egg whites, they had a lot of extra egg yolks left over. The nuns found creative ways to use these yolks, leading to delicious desserts like Papo-de-anjo!
How Papo-de-anjo is Made
Making Papo-de-anjo involves a few fun steps.
Preparing the Yolks
First, the egg yolks are whipped. They need to be whipped until they get much bigger, about double their original size. Some recipes also add a small amount of egg whites. If egg whites are used, they are beaten separately until they are stiff. Then, they are gently mixed into the whipped yolks.
Baking and Boiling
Next, the egg mixture is poured into small, greased muffin forms. Each one is about half a tablespoon. They are baked until they are firm but still soft, without a hard crust. After baking, these little pieces are lightly boiled in a sweet sugar syrup. The syrup can be flavored with things like rum, vanilla, or orange peel for extra taste.
