Quindim

Quindim
Type	Custard
Course	Dessert
Place of origin	Brazil
Serving temperature	Cold
Main ingredients	Ground coconut, sugar, egg yolks
	Media: Quindim;

Quindim (Portuguese pronunciation: [kĩ ˈdʒĩ] ^ⓘ) is a popular Brazilian baked dessert of Portuguese heritage, made chiefly from sugar, egg yolks and ground coconut.^[1]^[2] It is a custard and usually presented as an upturned cup with a glistening surface and intensely yellow color. The mixture can also be made in a large ring mold (like a savarin mold) in which case it is called a "quindão" and served in slices.

Etymology

The word quindim comes from dikende in Kikongo, a Bantu language. It means "the gestures, or demeanor, or humor characteristic of adolescent girls."^[3]

Origins

The heavy use of egg yolks is characteristic of many Portuguese sweets and pastries, such as the papo de anjo ("angel's crop") and fios de ovos ("egg threads"). Their combination with coconut and sugar was probably created by African slaves in 17th century Brazilian Northeast, where coconuts were abundant and sugar (from sugarcane) was a major industry.

In popular culture

Quindim is also a rhinoceros character (named after the dessert) featured in Monteiro Lobato's children's books.^[4]

It is also the subject of the song Os Quindins de Yayá which is featured in The Three Caballeros and sung by Aurora Miranda.

References

^ Lopes, Nei (1996). Novo dicionário banto do Brasil: contendo mais de 250 propostas etmológicas acolhidas pelo dicionário Houaiss (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Pallas. p. 217.
^ Fundamentos de panificação e confeitaria (in Portuguese). São Paulo: SENAI-SP Editora. 2016. p. 54. ISBN 9788583933298.
^ John T. Schneider (1991). Dictionary of African Borrowings in Brazilian Portuguese. Buske Verlag. p. 254.
^ Lobato, Monteiro. Quindim - Um Doce de Rinoceronte (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Globo. ISBN 9788525037602.