Quindim

When the mold is turned over, the coconut fibers end up at the bottom and a smooth yellow egg surface appears on top. Brazilian quindim is a sweet whose main ingredients are egg yolks, sugar, and grated coconut flesh. A single batter produces a glossy, smooth egg portion and a layer containing fine coconut fibers. Some are baked small and individually, while others are made as a large ring and cut into slices.

Glossy quindim. Location unknown, 2006. Photo: Leonardo Carvalho / CC BY-SA 2.5.

Working sugar into the coconut and adding egg yolks with the membranes removed

There are several ways to make quindim, such as mixing the ingredients as they are or using the sugar in the form of a syrup. One of these is to first combine the coconut, sugar, and melted butter, let the mixture rest, and then add the egg yolks.

When sugar is rubbed by hand into finely grated fresh coconut, the mixture becomes like damp sand and holds together slightly. Melted butter is then mixed in, and the mixture is rested in the refrigerator so that the coconut, sugar, and butter meld.

The egg yolks are passed through a sieve to remove their membranes. The yolks are lightly broken, the contents are allowed to drip through, and care is taken not to press them too hard. When they are added to the coconut mixture, they are combined with a spatula rather than whisked. Resting the batter briefly again before baking helps keep bubbles from spoiling the gloss of the surface and makes a smooth finish easier to achieve.

While some versions use egg yolks alone in abundance, there are also home recipes (ingredient proportions and method) that combine whole eggs and yolks. The method written by Pernambuco cook Nininha Carneiro da Cunha combines one coconut with sugar, 2 whole eggs, 8 egg yolks, and a little butter. How the eggs are used and the proportion of coconut also vary from cook to cook.

Baking in a water bath in a mold coated with butter and sugar

The mold is generously buttered and sprinkled with sugar to form a thin layer. The typical way of cooking is to place the mold filled with batter in a baking pan filled with hot water and bake it in the oven. Heat is transferred through the surrounding water, gently setting the egg portion.

In the mold, the part containing more coconut rises to the top. When the surface is lightly colored and looks dry, and the batter beneath it is no longer liquid when tested with a skewer, that is a sign that it is done. Turning it upside down to serve puts the coconut layer at the bottom and the smooth egg surface on top.

In one method, the mold is taken out of the water after it comes out of the oven, cooled slightly, and turned out while still warm. The batter is gently loosened along the edge and the central tube, a plate is placed over the mold, and it is inverted in one motion. If it is unmolded after cooling completely, briefly dipping the bottom of the mold in hot water makes it easier to release. It is turned out carefully so as not to damage the yellow surface.

Quindão, baked in a large mold

In contrast to the small bite-sized ones, the same batter baked in a large mold, especially a ring mold with a hole in the center, is called quindão. The whole cake is turned out onto a plate, and the ring is then cut into slices and served.

With a large mold, it is important to check not only the color of the surface but also whether it has set all the way through. Baking time varies with the size of the mold and how the oven heats. Once cooled and settled, it can be cut into slices while keeping its gloss.

A history said to involve replacing almonds with coconut

A Brazilian sweets museum explains that, in Portuguese-style sweets that use egg yolks and sugar generously, the almonds used in Europe were replaced with local coconut. A connection with the Brisas do Liz of Leiria is also passed down locally, but who made the substitution and in what year is unknown.

Brisas do Liz are small sweets made by combining almonds, whole eggs and egg yolks, and sugar, and baking them in a water bath in molds that have been buttered and sprinkled with sugar. Both are turned out of the mold with the glossy egg surface on top, but quindim forms a layer containing coconut fibers at the bottom.

A name said to be of African origin, and Brazilian sweet-making

In a Portuguese dictionary, “quindim” has the meanings of graceful gestures, charm, adornment, affectionate gestures, and a sweet of egg, coconut, and sugar. It is said to be of African origin, and Renato Mendonça’s vocabulary study also records it as “loveliness, adornment.” However, the specific source language and word form have not been identified. It is also unclear when and how a name of African origin came to be applied to a Portuguese-style egg sweet.

Quindim is found both in households in Pernambuco in the northeast and in the “doces finos,” an assortment of fine sweets, of Pelotas in the south. The custom of making, giving, and sharing sweets has been passed down mainly through women’s lives and work. The sweet-making traditions of Pelotas and the surrounding area were registered as Brazilian cultural heritage in 2018.

Sweets from Pelotas are also offered in Afro-Brazilian religious rituals. According to a priest’s explanation presented in the heritage registration documents, yellow egg sweets are offered to the goddess Oxum, and quindim is one of those offerings. Celebratory sweets also carry meaning in places of worship.

Quindim is also among the offerings to Iemanjá, goddess of the sea. At a February 2018 event of the religious center Ogum e Iansã in Canoas, quindins, cocadas, and meringues made the night before were placed in small blue boats together with flowers and decorations. It is a celebration in which sweets are arranged in handmade paper boats and carried by the community to the shore.

Glossary