Literally meaning “soft eggs from Aveiro”, a region in northern Portugal, the Ovos Moles de Aveiro are almost every Portuguese’s guilty pleasure.
Like the Pastéis de Nata, they were born out of the excess yolk leftover from starching the clothes at the Jesus de Aveiro Monastery, who used the yolk to make these sweets – made solely out of eggs and sugar, wrapped in a thin film of sugar syrup, and made to take the shape of various sea-related elements, like a seashell, conch or even fish.
Since the construction of the Lisbon-Porto railway, the sweets are traditionally sold at the stop in Aveiro to travellers by women dressed in regional clothing, in small wooden barrels painted with sea elements, and in little clay cups. For anyone in the country that visits Aveiro, it’s almost mandatory to bring back some “ovos moles”.
In Lisbon, you can find them in the traditional Estrela neighbourhood, in a charming little establishment called Casa dos Ovos Moles de Aveiro, that sell them out of their storefront in Calçada da Estrela, one of Lisbon’s most typical streets. Just next to it is Jardim da Estrela, perfect to take the “ovos moles” for a late afternoon snack and enjoy one of Lisbon’s oldest gardens. It’s also the first stop on the 28 tram, that will take you all the way through Chiado and Castelo de São Jorge.
Calçada do Sacramento 25, Lisboa, Portugal
