Ovos Moles de Aveiro

Ovos moles are a filling of egg yolk cooked with sugar syrup to a thick pale cream, encased in a thin unleavened wafer, hóstia, of the same kind used for communion - which is not a coincidence, since the sweet was made by the nuns of Aveiro's convents from at least the sixteenth century and the wafer came from the same source. The shapes are moulded from the lagoon and the sea: fish, shells, mussels, clams, barrels, and the moliceiro boat. They are also sold loose in small painted wooden barrels to be spooned out. Convent sweets across Portugal use egg yolks in this way because convents used egg whites in quantity for starching habits and for clarifying wine, leaving yolks to be dealt with. Ovos moles have protected geographical indication status, which restricts the name to producers in Aveiro and defined surrounding parishes.

What you actually see

• The wafer shapes - fish, shells, clams and barrels moulded from communion wafer.
• The filling - egg yolk cooked with sugar syrup to a thick pale cream.
• The convent origin - made by Aveiro nuns from at least the sixteenth century.
• The egg white explanation - yolks left over from starching habits and clarifying wine.

When to go

Year-round. Bought in minutes at any Aveiro pastelaria. The painted barrels are the traditional packaging and travel better than loose ones.

Honest expectations

Extremely sweet - two or three is plenty. The wafer softens quickly and they do not keep long. Versions sold outside the protected area are not the same thing. Not suitable for anyone avoiding eggs or gluten.

Nearby

The Aveiro canals and market are in the centre; Costa Nova is west.