Ovos Moles

Considered one of the best-loved and most distinctive of Portuguese desserts, ovos moles (soft eggs) was created by the nuns of Aveiro, in the northern Beira Litoral province. Originally consisting of only egg yolks, sugar, and water, a modern variation substitutes rice flour for some of the yolks. Soft and spreadable, ovos moles is an extremely adaptable dessert: it can be glazed between layers of pastry, drizzled over fruit or puddings, or squirted into fanciful maritime-themed rice paper casings and popped directly into one’s mouth. In Aveiro, ovos moles is also sold in small wooden barrels (some only big enough to fit a spoon) that are colorfully decorated with nautical scenes.