{"id":8407,"date":"2026-10-19T23:31:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8407"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:50:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:50:16","slug":"quindim","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/quindim\/","title":{"rendered":"Quindim"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Quindim,<\/p>\n

Glossy quindim. Location unknown, 2006. Photo: Leonardo Carvalho<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 2.5<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Working sugar into the coconut and adding egg yolks with the membranes removed<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Baking in a water bath in a mold coated with butter and sugar<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\n\"Individual\n
Small ring-shaped quindins (date and location unknown). Each is placed in a paper cup and finished in a shape with a hole in the center. Photo: Tamorlan \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY 3.0<\/a>. Downscaled version obtained from Commons. No content alterations or cropping made by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Quind\u00e3o, baked in a large mold<\/h2>\n

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 quind\u00e3o. The whole cake is turned out onto a plate, and the ring is then cut into slices and served.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A history said to involve replacing almonds with coconut<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A name said to be of African origin, and Brazilian sweet-making<\/h2>\n

In a Portuguese dictionary, \u201cquindim\u201d 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 Mendon\u00e7a\u2019s vocabulary study also records it as \u201cloveliness, adornment.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Quindim is found both in households in Pernambuco in the northeast and in the \u201cdoces finos,\u201d 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\u2019s lives and work. The sweet-making traditions of Pelotas and the surrounding area were registered as Brazilian cultural heritage in 2018.<\/p>\n

Sweets from Pelotas are also offered in Afro-Brazilian religious rituals. According to a priest\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Quindim is also among the offerings to Iemanj\u00e1, goddess of the sea. At a February 2018 event of the religious center Ogum e Ians\u00e3 in Canoas, quindins, cocadas<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

\n\"Preparing\n
Preparing small boats and sweets to offer to Iemanj\u00e1 (Canoas, Brazil, at a February 2018 event). This is photo 5 in the author\u2019s photographic record published in 2020, in which quindim is counted among the offerings. Photo: Dandara Rodrigues Dorneles \/ First published: Debates do NER 37 (2020), author\u2019s article<\/a> \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY 2.0<\/a>. Commons provides the photographic portion of the article as an image. No content alterations or cropping made by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Oxum<\/strong>: One of the deities revered in Afro-Brazilian religions. She appears in testimony about offerings in Pelotas.<\/p>

Water-bath baking<\/strong>: A method of heating in the oven with the mold placed in a baking pan or similar vessel filled with hot water.<\/p>

Nininha Carneiro da Cunha<\/strong>: A Brazilian cook. Author of Comida & Tradi\u00e7\u00e3o, a collection of home recipes from Pernambuco and elsewhere.<\/p>

Quind\u00e3o<\/strong>: Quindim made in a large mold and cut into slices to eat.<\/p>

Brisas do Liz<\/strong>: Small sweets of egg, sugar, and almond that are emblematic of Leiria, Portugal.<\/p>

Renato Mendon\u00e7a<\/strong>: Author of A influ\u00eancia africana no portugu\u00eas do Brasil. He studied vocabulary of African origin that remains in Brazilian Portuguese.<\/p>

Pelotas<\/strong>: A city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, with a culture of sweets made with eggs and sugar.<\/p>

Doces finos<\/strong>: Fine small sweets made with eggs and other ingredients, also used in celebratory assortments.<\/p>

Iemanj\u00e1<\/strong>: A goddess associated with the sea in Afro-Brazilian religions. A different deity from Oxum.<\/p>

Ogum e Ians\u00e3<\/strong>: In this article, short for Centro Africano Ogum e Ians\u00e3, a religious center in Canoas. A photographic article recorded its preparation of offering boats in 2018.<\/p>

Cocada<\/strong>: A sweet in which coconut is bound with sugar or other ingredients. At this event, it was added to the offerings along with quindim and meringues.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    IPHAN, \u201cSweet-making traditions of the Pelotas region\u201d registration document<\/a> \u2014 A priest\u2019s testimony about ritual offerings and Oxum. This is a local record, and we do not generalize it to rituals nationwide.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    Panelinha: Quindim<\/a> \u2014 Rubbing coconut and sugar together, the butter and resting steps, the yolk membranes, mixing without whisking, an 18cm ring mold, the water bath, unmolding, and unmolding the next day. All listed ingredients and steps were read in full.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    Museu do A\u00e7\u00facar e Doce: Quindins de Iai\u00e1 do Brasil<\/a> \u2014 Explanation of the adaptation of European recipes to coconut, quotation of the recipe from Nininha\u2019s 2002 cookbook, Pernambuco and Pelotas, and the cultural meanings of the word.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    DGADR: Brisas do Liz<\/a> \u2014 Ingredients of the almond and egg sweet, mold preparation, the water bath, the gloss, and which side faces up when served. The source itself states that the 17th-century convent theory rests only on oral tradition, so we do not use it as a confirmed date.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  5. \n

    \u00c9 de Leiria: Curiosidades das Brisas<\/a> \u2014 A local account presenting the theory of the substitution in quindim as something \u201cthat is passed down.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>

  6. \n

    Porto Editora \/ Infop\u00e9dia: quindim<\/a> \u2014 The multiple meanings of the word and the explanation of its African origin. The meanings are not limited to those used only by a particular age group.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  7. \n

    Museu da L\u00edngua Portuguesa: Quindim<\/a> \u2014 The meaning of the word and the context of an exhibit dealing with African languages. The item description was read closely; the audio was not listened to.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  8. \n

    Renato Mendon\u00e7a, A influ\u00eancia africana no portugu\u00eas do Brasil, FUNAG edition<\/a> \u2014 The \u201cQUINDIM\u201d entry on page 164 of the PDF gives \u201cloveliness, adornment\u201d and \u201cof African origin.\u201d It does not indicate a specific Kikongo word form.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  9. \n

    City of Pelotas: Doces tradicionais no Hall do Turismo (2009)<\/a> \u2014 Describes quindim as one of a group of egg sweets in an exhibit from a cultural survey.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  10. \n

    Iphan: Registration of the sweet-making traditions of Pelotas and the former surrounding area<\/a> \u2014 Approval on May 15, 2018; small urban sweets and rural fruit sweets; transmission through women\u2019s lives and work. This does not mean that full product specifications for quindim alone were registered.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  11. \n

    Dandara Rodrigues Dorneles, \u201cSeguindo a rota dos barquinhos de Iemanj\u00e1,\u201d Debates do NER 37 (2020) pp255\u2013269<\/a> \u2014 pp255\u2013257 and 260\u2013261 and photo 5 of the author\u2019s published PDF were read and checked against the printed pages. The February 2018 event of the Canoas community, sweets made the night before, and paper boats. The fact that the photos were taken by the author herself and the community\u2019s consent to publication are noted in note 7 on p257.<\/p>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Quindim is a Brazilian sweet that features egg yolks, sugar, and coconut. Its yellow surface, turned out of a small mold, is glossy, and a fine layer of coconut is visible at the bottom. Rather than being a custard pudding that is uniform from top to bottom, it combines a smooth egg portion and coconut fibers in a single sweet, which gives it a distinctive character in both appearance and texture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7396,"menu_order":178,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Quindim","subtitle":"A coconut layer beneath glossy egg yolk","topics":"Two textures that begin before baking \/ The work of the water bath and the mold \/ An egg sweet that has spread to many places","country":"Brazil","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["butter","egg","coconut"],"texture":["smooth"],"occasion":[],"method":["baked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[164],"class_list":["post-8407","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t