Dom Rodrigo

The signature sweet of the Algarve. A conventual sweet of egg yolks and sugar cooked with cinnamon (sometimes with a little ground almond), portioned onto foil, twisted shut and chilled. By tradition it originated in 18th-century Lagos, made by the Carmelite nuns of the Convento de Nossa Senhora do Carmo and named in honour of Dom Rodrigo de Menezes, then Governor of the Algarve, though its exact origins are uncertain. Belongs to the Portuguese conventual tradition. Lagos and Tavira are the traditional centres.

A golden, dense, spoonably soft yolk-and-糖 paste perfumed with cinnamon, peeled from its foil like a gift, intensely sweet with a warm spice note. Eaten cold in small portions with espresso.

The sweet is built on egg yolks and 糖, the staples of Portuguese 修道院甜点. Yolks are beaten with 糖 syrup (糖 and water cooked to soft thread), cooked gently over a water bath until thick and spoonable, cinnamon stirred in, and the warm paste portioned onto squares of foil which are twisted shut into individual parcels. The parcels chill until firm. The water bath is essential — direct heat scrambles the yolks. The high yolk ratio gives the dense, smooth, intensely sweet texture characteristic of the conventual tradition.