''Fios de ovos'' () is a traditional Portuguese sweet food made out of

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

yolk Among animals which produce eggs, the yolk (; also known as the vitellus) is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg whose primary function is to supply food for the development of the embryo. Some types of egg contain no yolk, for example bec ...

s, drawn into thin strands and boiled in

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

syrup In cooking, syrup (less commonly sirup; from ; , beverage, wine and ) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a Solution (chemistry), solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but ...

. It is used as a garnish on

cake Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabor ...

s and

pudding Pudding is a type of food which can either be a dessert served after the main meal or a Savoury (dish), savoury (salty or sweet, and spicy) dish, served as part of the main meal. In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based des ...

s, as a filling for cakes, or eaten on its own. Through Portuguese trade and colonization, the dish has spread to many countries in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. In

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, it is known as ''keiran sōmen'' (鶏卵素麺, ), in

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

as ''vawee'' (), in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

as ''jala mas'' (), in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

as ''foi thong'' (; ),''Bangkok Post Educational Services'',
Three tempting Thai delicacies
. Accessed on October 29, 2011. and in the Malabar region of Kerala, India as ''muttamala'' (മുട്ടമാല; or 'egg necklace'). This dish is called ''letria'' in

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

. ''Fios de ovos'' is also popular in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, as well as

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, where it is known as ''huevo hilado''. In

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, it is shaped into peaked cones called '.

History

Like other egg-based Portuguese sweets, ''fios de ovos'' is believed to have been created by Portuguese

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s around the 14th or 15th century.

Laundry Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this u ...

was a common service performed by

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

s and monasteries, and their use of

egg white Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens, it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms a ...

s for " starching" clothes created a large surplus of yolks. Between the 16th and 18th centuries Portuguese explorers took the recipe to Japan, Thailand and parts of India.

Brazil

Brazilian cuisine Brazilian cuisine is the set of cooking practices and traditions of Brazil, and is characterized by European cuisine, European, Amerindian, African tribes, African, and Asian (Levantine cuisine, Levantine, Japanese food, Japanese, and most rece ...

, ''fios de ovos'' is used as a topping for Marta Rocha Torte, a cake named after Miss Brazil 1954 Martha Rocha.

Cambodia

''Fios de ovos'' is called ''voy'' or ''vawee'' in Khmer. It is garnished with bright

candied fruit Candied fruit, also known as glacé fruit, is whole fruit, smaller pieces of fruit, or pieces of peel (fruit), peel, placed in heated sugar syrup, which absorbs the moisture from within the fruit and eventually Food preservation, preserves it. ...

, such as

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

, and reserved only for special occasions. ''Vawee'''s origin is Thai and before that, royal Khmer. It can be bought only in a few select shops in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

, where it is made by women who used to live in the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania {, class="wikitable" width="95%" , - bgcolor="white" !align=center, Residence !align=center, Photo !align=center, City !align=cen ...

Laos

It is one of the most difficult desserts to make in

Lao cuisine Lao cuisine or Laotian cuisine (, , ) is the national cuisine of Laos. The staple food of the Lao is sticky rice (, ''khao niao'', ). Laos has the highest sticky rice consumption per capita in the world with an average of of sticky rice c ...

. ''Foi thong'' is boiled in

pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with about 578 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. Common names include pandan, screw palm and screw pine. The genus is classified ...

leaf-flavoured sugar syrup. In

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

, it is traditionally served at

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

s and other ceremonial occasions, where the length of the egg threads symbolises long life.

Thailand

''Fios de ovos'' is called ''foi thong'' (; ) in Thai. The name of the dessert comes from the observation that it has fine, long stripes and is shiny like

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

. ''Fios de ovos'' was introduced from Portugal to Thailand by

Maria Guyomar de Pinha Maria Guyomar de Pina (; 1664 – 1728) (also known as ''Maria Guiomar de Pina'', ''Dona Maria del Pifia'' or as ''Marie Guimar'' and ''Madame Constance'' in French), Thao Thong Kip Ma (), was a Siamese woman from Ayutthaya. She was of mixed Jap ...

, half Portuguese and Japanese who was born and raised in

. It is considered a fine dessert. The word ''thong'' ('gold') has an auspicious connotation to Thai people. The long stripe is also seen as symbolizing a long life and undying love.

Japan

''Keiran sōmen'' is the name of ''fios de ovos'' in

. The dessert is one of the ''nanbangashi'', which are desserts introduced from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

during the

Nanban trade or the was a period in the history of Japan from the arrival of Europeans in 1543 to the first ''Sakoku'' Seclusion Edicts of isolationism in 1614. is a Japanese word borrowed from Chinese ''Nanman'', which had been used to designate people fr ...

Uses

and

, ''fios de ovos'' are often used in fillings such as , cake decorations and other desserts and accompaniments for sweet dishes. In Brazil, they are also used as accompaniments in savory dishes, often served with canned fruits alongside

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

.Porto Cultura
"Peru de Natal"
Accessed on July 8, 2009. In Japan, they are served in the form of dessert rolls (''

wagashi is traditional Japanese confectionery, typically made using plant-based ingredients and with an emphasis on seasonality. ''Wagashi'' generally makes use of cooking methods that pre-date Western influence in Japan. It is often served with green ...

''),''Kyoto Foodie'',
Wagashi: Angel Hair Keiran Somen (Fios de Ovos)
'. Accessed on July 7, 2009. and known as .

References

{{Thai cuisine Brazilian cuisine Wagashi Portuguese desserts Christmas food Egg desserts