Chajá

Dry meringue, soft sponge cake, whipped cream, and peaches are layered within a single cake. Chajá, created in Paysandú, Uruguay, is a dessert that is also coated on the outside with pieces of white meringue. In a single bite, you can enjoy the light crunch of the dry meringue and the softness of the syrup-soaked sponge.

Meringue and Sponge Made from Egg Foam

The meringue used in chajá is made by whipping egg whites and sugar and drying them in a low-temperature oven. Unlike preparations in which soft foam is piped on top and browned, the dry pieces and discs add a different texture within the cream. Some methods prepare flat meringues to place between the layers and small meringues for decoration separately.

For the sponge, some methods use a génoise, in which eggs and sugar are whipped thoroughly before the flour is folded in. The eggs are warmed over a hot-water bath to make them easier to whip, and the mixture is beaten until a trail of batter lifted from it remains visible for a while. When the flour is added, it is folded in without deflating the foam, and the baked and cooled sponge is sliced into thin layers.

Although both use egg foam, the meringue and the sponge end up with different textures depending on how long they are heated and dried and on whether flour is included.

Peaches Between the Layers and Syrup Soaked into the Sponge

In methods by home cooks and culinary experts, cold cream is whipped with sugar and combined with peaches in syrup. The peaches are drained and chopped, and the remaining syrup is used to moisten the sponge. The fruit is placed between the layers and the syrup is soaked into the sponge, combining the texture of the peaches with the moist mouthfeel of the sponge.

In methods that add dulce de leche, it is spread over a thin layer of sponge, which is then topped with dry meringue, whipped cream, and peaches. This is repeated, and a final layer of sponge closes the cake. Some methods also add port wine to the syrup. When the rich sweetness of reduced milk is included, a caramel-colored layer appears between the white cream and the peaches.

If the sponge and meringue are made into discs of the same size and layered inside a round ring, the cream and peaches are less likely to spill out. The top and sides are covered with cream, the cake is left to set in the refrigerator, and it is then decorated with crushed meringue or peaches. The white pieces on the outside, along with the meringue layered inside the cake, add a light crunch.

A sliced chajá, showing the layered interior of cake, cream, and fruit and the white finish. Photo: Muago, 2021-11-27, location unknown. Original image / CC0. Downscaled version from the hosting source; no additional processing.

A Name Taken from a Bird and Its History in Paysandú

In 1927, the dessert that Orlando Castellano made at Las Familias in Paysandú was named after a local bird, the chajá. The department’s official tourism guide relates an anecdote about the naming: the bird’s abundant plumage and light body resembled the dessert. The story likens the white, irregular pieces and the light foam inside to the bird’s appearance.

The word chajá for the bird is older than the dessert, and the Historical Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy cites descriptions of the bird up to 1805. There are theories that the word comes from Guaraní or that it imitates the bird’s call, but its etymology is unknown. The dessert took this long-established name for the bird.

In October 2017, the department’s Cultural Heritage Commission recognized this dessert as an item of cultural value. Chajá, created in Paysandú, is also cherished as something that conveys the region’s culture.

Single-Serving Cylinders and Cakes Sliced at Home

Chajá comes both as small, single-serving cylindrical desserts and as large cakes for slicing, with the layers assembled to suit the number of people and the occasion. Food culture researcher Gustavo Laborde writes that it first spread as a pastry shop product and later came to be imitated in homes. Recipes published by culinary experts include versions with meringue discs between the layers, versions using meringue pieces, and versions layered with dulce de leche.

A single serving of chajá served at a restaurant in Uruguay, its surface covered with meringue pieces. Photo: robertorodriguex, 2011-09-28, Uruguay (city or town unknown). Original image / CC BY-SA 2.0. Downscaled version from the hosting source; no additional processing.

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