Traditional Portuguese desserts: Arroz doce

Arroz doce (Portuguese rice pudding)

      It's not only the sweets from convents that makes the glory of Portugal. Popular sweets have taken roots, envolved and became hopelessly associated with tradition. In Portugal, there is no parties, pilgrimage, or mariage without Arroz doce.

      The heritage of this Portuguese rice pudding comes possibly from the Moors, who inhabited the territory before Portuguese independence from the twelfth century. Simple ingredients, easy to identify, have created a variety of recipes of Arroz doce.

       And let's start with the rice that must be the variety of Carolino, which is one of the most used rice in Portugal. Then, comes the milk, the sugar, the cinnamon, the eggs, and the orange peel or lemon.

       Although Arroz doce is not commonly recognized as part of the convent confectionery, we find some recipes in convents. But the recipes may vary depending on the convents and the regions.

Here's the recipe of the Portuguese rice pudding