"Espécies" from São Jorge island (6 units box)

Espécies de São Jorge is a traditional sweet made on the island of São Jorge. It is a delicacy that contains spices such as sweet herbs, cinnamon and pepper in its preparation. It is shaped like small doughnuts of soft dough, cut across the top, allowing the brownish filling to enter.

The origin of the species dates back to the settlement of the island of São Jorge, which took place in the 15th century. In the past, the species were known as “bichos doces” and their filling was made with homemade bread, toasted and ground in “atafonas”, a type of mill.

This way, the toasted bread was beaten into a sack with a “mexilhão” and then sifted and mixed with the other spices. Finally, after cooling down, small portions were rolled by hand, called “bichanas”, which were used to line the dough internally. Over time, the candy came to be called Espécies de São Jorge and became one of the main symbols of São Jorge Island.