«Doçaria do Sul» or the art of rescuing the forgotten sweets of the Algarve

«These things do not become sad». This phrase, which should be read with an Algarvian accent, is inscribed on the wall of the grocery store “Doçaria do Sul”, which opened a few weeks ago on Rua Elias Garcia, the pedestrian artery of the commercial area of ​​the city of Silves.

Alexandra Santos, communication designer and one of the creators of Forgotten Food Festival, who was the craze of the last edition of 365Algarve, is the woman behind this new store, which is not just another space selling Algarve products, it is much more than that.

«My goal is to have the largest network of confectionery producers in the Algarve here, combining innovation with tradition», exclaims Alexandra, pointing to the counter filled with delicious things. But it also intends to "rescue from oblivion some sweets that were made in the past, sometimes just rescuing their shapes, others taking recipes and techniques from oblivion."

That's why, on the shelves and on the refrigerated counter, there is regular dessert (marzipan with a sweet egg filling), but also dessert with a sweetmeat filling. Because we are in the Christmas season, both versions, in addition to the normal formats (fruits, fish, chickens, baskets…), there are some appropriate motifs, such as Santa Claus or a stocking to hang in the fireplace with the gifts…

“Fine candy has a long history. All the Mediterranean countries where the Arabs have been have marzipan. But, in the past, in the Algarve, it was easier to make gourmet sweets with a sweetmeat filling, because this pumpkin was cheaper than eggs. Today it is completely the opposite», explains Alexandra.

There are also slugs, a candy-shaped candy (and wrapped as such) made by layering fine candy, jellyfish, and strings of eggs. "It's a noble cake, even characteristic of Silves", adds the designer.

There are also chickens, hedgehogs and fish made from figs and almonds, in two sizes. There is also the pine cone, made from figs, with spiky almonds, in the shape of a pine cone.

«The lady who makes the fig jam, D. Fernanda, is from Lagos. She only made the chickens, and in full size, but I asked her to go back to making the hedgehogs and fish. They were formats that were used in the past and then fell into disuse, I don't know why. And I also asked him to make all of these in a smaller size, in miniature».

Fig jams were very common in the Algarve, which was a large producer and even exporter of figs, dried in the almix groves that covered the farmyards. But these sweets were made mainly "around the month of May". People offered chickens or fig hedgehogs, bristled with almonds, morgados, cheeses, little stars, stuffed figs, to their relatives, friends, godmothers, godchildren.

There's even a new sweet, entirely made with local products, the Figuinhos de Silves, produced by José Gambôa, in his Horta de São Bruno, right there near the city. And what are Silves Figuinhos? They are an innovative candy, made with fig filling, wrapped in a sandy dough similar to crumble. “We are still improving. One of the things I've done with all the producers I work with is also help them improve their product.”

“Before we opened this space, we spent three months in research,” explains Alexandra. The plural he uses also includes the work of Inês Cristóvão, the company's other collaborator. Today, Doçaria do Sul has suppliers in Silves, Lagos, Loulé, Olhão, Moncarapacho. «In the Algarve, where there are people making genuine products, made with local products, we want to work with them!».

One of the "serious problems" that Alexandra Santos identified is the difficulty of many of these producers, most of the time with only small productions, to legalize themselves. “We can only work with those who can produce and sell us with the labels ASAE demands…and that is not always easy”.

For this reason, he argues, «there is a need here in the Algarve for more communal kitchens, as there are in Loulé. I know that there is also a private project, in Portimão, although with a slightly different logic. But we need more!».

The grocery store «Doçaria do Sul», which, these days, has a window decorated with an Algarvian nativity scene, decorated with oranges and cornfields, arranged in a kind of altar with several levels, topped by an already large Baby Jesus, offers many other products Algarve or made with regional products. Biscuits, biscuits, bread made with unrefined flour, jams, chutneys, hot sauces, vinegars, teas, some crafts in the works, sweets, craft chocolates Carob World carob, water from Monchique, wine from Herdade Barranco do Vale, craft beer (Marafada, from Algoz), liqueurs and even, imagine, a Limoncello, produced in the Italian way, but with lemons from the Algarve, in the Silvense farm of the Italian Gloria Dall'Orto.

Some of these products are only sold by order. While the site is not ready, you can always see what's on the Facebook page, which can be accessed here.

While serving customers entering the grocery store, attracted by the originality of the products on display, but also by the delicious and very original air of the confectionery, which even adapts to the Christmas season, Alexandra Santos says, with conviction: «we still have a long way to go ».

Therefore, it announces its goals for the near future: «complete the site, which should be ready in January or February, so that we can present our entire offer and become an online store as well» and create «new packages for some of our products products, to put them on a level above'. It's just that – and now it's even the communication designer talking – “we have very good products here, in fact they were all tested by us before having them here to sell, but some have unattractive or antiquated packaging, which hinders their sale” . Eyes also eat is an old saying…and very sure, it's seen!

And now, back to that initial sentence: «These things are not made with sadness», signed by Paula and Julieta. Alexandra says that the phrase is «from Julieta, my mother's friend, Paula, and it means that there has to be joy when making these sweets». Joy and love, no doubt.

Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação