Fios De Ovos

Fios De Ovos or fios d'ovos, is a Portuguese sweet dish prepared with eggs, with the dish known by several other names, viz. keiran somen in Japan, huevo hilado in Spain, and foi thong in Thailand. The eggs are drawn in the form of thin strands, which are then boiled in sugar based syrup, with this element extensively used as an ingredient in Brazilian and Portuguese side dishes and desserts. Also, these egg threads can be used as accompaniments to various desserts. In English, the dish is known as “Angel hair”, and refers to candied threads of eggs, with egg yolks predominantly used in the preparation process.

 

History of Fios D'ovos

Fios De Ovos is believed to be created in fourteenth or fifteenth century by Portuguese nuns and monks, who used to make use of egg whites for  starching  their clothes, with ample quantity of egg yolks remaining unused, which was thereby used to make long sugary threads. The recipe was later on passed to other countries, viz. Thailand and Japan in 17th century.   

 

Fios De Ovos Recipe- Ingredients Used and Preparation Overview

The recipe for Fios D'ovos suggests the use of eggs, water and sugar as the ingredients.

 

Sugar syrup is first prepared by combining together water and sugar, and heating the mix until sugar gets dissolved. Thereafter, a mixture of egg whites and egg yolks is prepared, with the major proportion (ten to twelve times) consisting of egg yolks, and the mixture is passed through a strainer two to three times so as to get rid of solid portion of the eggs. The mix is then passed through a funnel (having narrow opening) into the sugar syrup, and moved around continuously, in order to avoid sticking of the threads. Once hardened, they are removed from the syrup, soaked in ice cold water, and squeezed gently before allowing to dry.

 

Fios De Ovos is now ready to be used in several desserts and side dishes.   

 

Culinary Uses of Fios D'ovos

A few uses of Fios D'ovos are listed here:

 

  • The egg based threads are commonly used for decorating cakes and various desserts in Brazil and Portugal.

 

  • These egg threads are also used as fillings for several Portuguese desserts.

 

  • In Japan, these candied egg based threads are made into dessert rolls called wagashi.

 

  •  Fios De Ovos is also used in the form of accompaniment with respect to both savory and sweet dishes. Christmas turkey and canned fruits are often accompanied with these egg threads.