Azevia

Azevia is a traditional fried pastry from the Alentejo region of Portugal, typically half-moon shaped and about 8 cm long. The pastry is made from a dough consisting of flour, eggs, lard, olive oil, water, and salt and is typically covered with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon after frying.

Some variations will also have the pastry flavored with orange juice. Azevias can have a variety of sweet fillings, typically chickpeas, sweet potatoes, doce de gila (a type of squash), and even beans. Almonds are sometimes added to enhance the flavor and texture of the filling.

The preparation involves kneading the dough until it becomes elastic, rolling it out, filling it, folding it into a half-moon, and then frying it before rolling in sugar and cinnamon. While these pastries are now associated with festive seasons like Christmas and Carnival, they were historically linked to religious convents, with early recipes preserved in convent cookbooks.

The name "azevia" is shared with a type of flat fish, likely due to the similar shape of both. In addition to their history as a treat for special occasions, azevias were sometimes used in playful Carnival pranks, in which case they were filled with cotton.