Tiborna

Tiborna is a convent sweet from the Vila Viçosa. It has supposedly existed since the 17th century but became public only in the 19th century. It consists of three layers: a marzipan one, a doce de gila (a squash sweet) one, and a fios de ovos (egg yolks cooked in sugar syrup) one. These layers are stacked to create little mounds, which are then placed on a piece of paper that has previously been decoratively cut up. The paper is then tied with a wool thread. Tiborna can be made either as small, individual cakes or as one large cake weighing between 0.5 and 1 kg (1.1 -2.2 lbs). The top of the cake can be decorated with candied cherries and pearl sugar.