Dom Rodrigo is a traditional sweet from the Algarve, associated with the confectionery of Lagos and usually served in individual wrappers. The recipe can be recreated at home with ingredients such as sugar, egg yolks, ground almond, water and cinnamon, as well as egg threads. The preparation takes a total of one hour and includes two passes on the stove, cooling periods and final refrigeration.
For this version, 125 millilitres of water, 150 grams of sugar, six egg yolks, 80 grams of ground almond, ground cinnamon and two packages of egg threads of 200 grams each are needed. You also need to prepare aluminium foil and greaseproof paper cut into squares of approximately eight by eight centimetres to form ten wrappers.
The preparation begins by heating the water with the sugar until it reaches the "pearl stage", followed by the gradual addition of the egg yolks. The cream returns to the heat until the "road stage" and, after cooling, the ground almond is incorporated. The filling is then distributed over the egg threads in each wrapper, with cinnamon to taste, and the sweets are closed and refrigerated until served.
Dom Rodrigo most likely originated at the Convent of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, with its creation associated with a tribute to the governor and captain-general of the Algarve, D. Rodrigo de Menezes. In 2019, during Arte Doce, a Dom Rodrigo weighing 125.4 kilos was presented, certified as the largest in the world by a Guinness World Records judge.
