TENTÚGAL
40° 13' 25" N; 8° 35' 07" W
Tentúgal is a Portuguese village, headquarters of the Parish of Tentúgal in the Municipality of Montemor-o-Velho, a parish with an area of 34.48 km² and 2046 inhabitants (2021 census), therefore having a population density of 59.3 inhabitants ./km².
The villages in the parish are as follows: Casal das Barreiras, Casal dos Craveiros, Casal Fernando, Casal dos Leiteiros, Casal dos Lourenços, Casal do Penas, Casal dos Saraivas, Fontainhas, Moinho Novo, Morraçã, Outeiro Longo, Pochos, Portela, Porto Espinheiro, Póvoa de Santa Cristina, Ribeira dos Moinhos and Tentúgal.
History
The oldest documentary reference to Tentúgal dates back to the year 980. In the 10th and 11th centuries, it was in the power of sometimes Muslims and sometimes Christians, until, in 1034, it was reconquered from the Moors, by Gonçalo Trastamires, during the capture of Montemor-o-Velho.
Tentúgal received a charter in 1108, passed by Counts D. Henrique and D. Tereza, with the latter confirming the same in 1124.
It is an integral part of the Coimbra district and was the seat of a municipality and town until the mid-19th century (1853).
In Tentúgal, a county was created by King João III, the County of Tentúgal.
Gastronomy
The village of Tentúgal is best known for its famous Pastéis de Tentúgal, a traditional sweet of conventual origin.
Patrimony
House with Manueline window and gardens at Quinta do Lapuz
Tentúgal Misericórdia Church
Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Tentúgal
Main Church of Tentúgal or Church of Santa Maria de Mourão or Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
Parish Church Cruise
Hospital of São Pedro and São Domingos, da Misericórdia
Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tentúgal
Church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, integrated into the Convent of the Carmelite nuns complex
Pillory of Póvoa de Santa Cristina
Church of Póvoa de Santa Cristina
Clock Tower (Old Tentúgal Castle)
Paço dos Duques de Cadaval or Paço do Infante D. Pedro or Paço dos Condes de Tentúgal
Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Olivais, where Saint Luzia is venerated
Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel
Convent of Santa Cristina da Póvoa, on Monte de Santo Onofre, currently in ruins
Bust of Dr. Armando Gonçalves, doctor, humanist and benefactor
Tentúgal Misericórdia Church
The Church of Misericórdia de Tentúgal is a religious monument located on Rua Dr. Armando Gonçalves, in Tentúgal (Municipality of Montemor-o-Velho, District of Coimbra, Portugal)
History
The brotherhood of Misericórdia de Tentúgal was established in March 1583 by royal charter from D. Filipe I. The construction of the church began a few months later, according to the architectural design of Tomé Velho, to whom the sculptures are also due. of the portal and the main altarpiece. The facade was completed in 1588, but construction continued for a few more years (construction of the sacristy began in 1595; completion of the main altarpiece in 1600). The church was the subject of improvement works between 1685 and 1694, directed by the architect Francisco Rodrigues.
Description
With sober lines and refined taste, the Misericórdia de Tentúgal church presents a typically Mannerist structural model. The most prominent decorative element on the facade is the portal, in a full arch, inserted in an altarpiece structure topped by the low relief of the Virgin of Mercy. The bell tower, with a rectangular plan, was added to the left side facade. Inside, the temple presents a model very similar to the Misericórdia churches built at that time, with a longitudinal plan with a single nave forming a large unified space, with a high choir, and on the right side the poll workers' tribune. The roof covering is gabled. This church is one of the few in the Baixo-Mondego region to have a presbytery, above which the main altarpiece was built. In the lower area of the presbytery, a sculptural group was placed representing the Deposition in the Tomb inspired by the Ruan Depositions.
Altarpiece in the Chancel
The altarpiece is articulated according to a typical scheme of Mannerist altarpieces, with the sculptural group representing the Visitation occupying a central place, flanked by reliefs of the Annunciation, Dream of Saint Joseph, Nativity of Saint John and Nativity Scene, and by images of Saint Peter and of a Holy Father. In the intercolumns the images of Saint Augustine, Saint Jerome, Saint Gregory and Saint Ambrose were placed. In the upper area, in the center, the relief of Our Lady of Mercy stands out, flanked by the Adoration of the Magi and Presentation in the Temple.
Tentúgal Pastry
Pastel de Tentúgal is a typical Portuguese conventual sweet, created by the Carmelite nuns of Carmelo de Tentúgal and made since the end of the 19th century.
General features
The making of pastries is very sensitive and their quality undergoes changes, with the characteristics of the flour, eggs and atmosphere, as well as the human component in which the art of the pastry chef has a primordial influence on all its making.
The quality of Pastel de Tentúgal has a lot to do with the “Knowledge”, how it is made and who appreciates it, like all sweets.
There are two traditional formats for Tentúgal pastries: stick and half-moon. The most classic is the half-moon shape, so the stick shape, which is more popular today, appeared during the pastry's commercialization period. Historically, the pastry, in addition to the egg candy, also contained almonds, however, when it began to be commercialized and preference began to be given to the stick shape over the half-moon shape, almonds began to be used.
Confection
Ingredients
Tentúgal pastries traditionally use flour and water to make the dough, and they also use butter to then brush on and help seal the pastry dough, before going into the oven.
As for the filling, it traditionally consists of soft-boiled eggs or egg custard, so it is made with water, sugar and egg yolks. Historically, the pastry, in addition to the egg candy, also contained almonds, however, when it began to be commercialized and preference began to be given to the stick shape over the half-moon shape, almonds began to be used.
Preliminary execution
First, sift the flour repeatedly into a bowl, where warm water is added. Subsequently, the flour is kneaded in water to obtain a very soft dough, which is worked and beaten until it becomes as malleable as possible. Traditionally, it was kneaded by hand, however, there are modern recipes that recommend using a mixer, beating the dough until it comes away from the bowl and no longer sticks to your hands.
Then, let the dough rest for about a quarter of an hour. After this time, divide the dough, spread it with a rolling pin, until it is very thin and leave it to dry on a sheet. Later, after drying, the dough is cut into 4 parts. Traditionally, recipes recommended cutting the dough into four pieces first, before rolling out the dough; Currently, recipes recommend reversing this order of tasks.
Stick shape
If you want to make stick-shaped pastries, simply place four rectangular sheets of dough on top of each other. On the top sheet, place a spoonful of egg custard, made with the ingredients already listed above.
Then roll up the sheets of dough and fold the ends upwards to secure the roll. Then brush with melted butter.
Half moon shape
If you want to make half-moon-shaped pastries, the next step involves placing a saucer upside down on the table and cutting the dough around it with a very sharp knife, in order to obtain a portion of 5 dough rounds.
Then, join the dough rounds together, greasing each one with melted butter. In the center of the last round, place a spoonful of soft-boiled eggs. Then, moisten the edges of the five rounds of dough held together with butter and fold them into a half-moon shape, carrying them around with the handle of a teaspoon.
Conclusion
After shaping the pastries into the desired shape, they are placed on a tray greased with butter and placed in the oven to bake at a temperature of 220 °C.
Once they are ready, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar or cinnamon.
History
Pastéis de Tentúgal are sweets originating from the sweets recipe of the Convent of Nossa Senhora do Carmo de Tentúgal.
In Portuguese sweets, you will find a wide variety of puff pastries and fillings with egg candy in the different types of Puff Sticks; Those from the Convent of Tentúgal were perhaps some of the most elaborate, and their recipe was already known in the 19th century.
Background
Since 1565, the people who lived in the coutos and properties under the jurisdiction of the Convent of Our Lady of the Nativity of Tentúgal, paid their tithe, among other seigneurial taxes, in kind, more specifically in eggs. This was due to the general indigence of the people who, lacking other means of sustenance, managed to rely on raising chickens, as they were easy and affordable to maintain.
The nuns of the aforementioned monastery used the albumen from egg whites to clarify the wine and to starch the linen on their clothes. To take advantage of the overabundance of egg yolks, sweets began to be made. This is where the essence of a large part of Portuguese conventual sweets comes from, which revolves around egg candy.
Centuries later, pending the Napoleonic Invasions of Portugal, French troops invaded Tentúgal on October 1, 1810. Consequently, the nuns of the convent found themselves having to flee, to save their lives, leaving for other parts of the country. country.
Later, when they returned to the convent, they discovered it looted and destroyed. To worsen this black situation, in the aftermath of the Portuguese Civil War, all national religious orders were expropriated, in 1833 the prohibition of novitiates was decreed and in 1834, the final blow, convents were abolished. Even so, the convents and the nuns who lived in them, during this troubled period, still benefited from a period of moratorium, which kept the monasteries open, although without being able to receive new novices, while the last of the incumbent nuns was still alive. Consequently, the nuns of the Tentúgal convent, deprived of the sources of income that their order had benefited from for centuries, were forced to start providing their own support.
It was at this juncture that the nuns began to make Tentúgal pastries, on a large scale, for sale.
Marketing of pastries
In fact, the pastries became popular and their making became an economically sustainable way for the Monastery to govern itself. Demand grew to such an extent that, around the 80s and 90s of the century. In the 19th century, the nuns began to hire local women to help them make clothes.
The convent closed in 1898, but the recipe for the pastries was not lost, being preserved in the families of the workers who had gone to work for the monastery.
Dona Maria dos Prazeres, one of those women who helped the nuns in making the pastries, until the convent closed, taught the recipe and technique to her sisters, Ana Faria Delgado and Branca Faria Delgado, who began to sell the sweet in the family inn. . Consequently, Hospedaria dos Farias, the only one on the carriage route from Coimbra to Figueira da Foz, now holds a monopoly on the manufacture of pastries.
Later, at the hands of Dona Maria da Conceição Faria (1851–1940), sister-in-law of D.ª Maria dos Prazeres, a new impetus was given to the popularity of the pastry. Taking advantage of her position as a primary school teacher, she taught her students the recipe and technique for Tentúgal pastel, spreading the recipe even further among women in the region.
Its refined appearance and taste, the quality and dissemination of Dona Conceição Faria's Palitos Folhados, led to the change of its name in the early days, associating the name of the village with “Pastel”, thus creating and popularizing the name Pastel de Tentúgal.
In the 20th century, the Inn maintained its characteristics and after the establishment of the Republic in 1910, Portugal experienced great development with the construction of roads and the appearance of the first automobiles. From the beginning of the 1920s, it was his daughter, Dona Branca Faria Delgado (1894–1982) who greatly increased and promoted Pasteis de Tentúgal and maintained the house until the beginning of the 1980s. visits from the wealthy class and professors and students from the University of Coimbra, who came to Tentúgal to appreciate and order Dona Branca Delgado's pastries, which they later spread throughout the country.
The appreciated characteristics of Pastel de Tentúgal are found in the thin and crispy puff pastry, unique in Portuguese sweets and in the egg filling. Initially, grated almonds were present in its preparation, which refined its taste, but due to its scarcity this was abandoned. By order and less publicized, the Half-Moon shape was the wedding cake.
The confection remained exclusively in Dona Conceição Faria's family until the mid-1950s, when a new confectioner appeared to sell it, thus creating a new cycle of Pastel de Tentúgal.
Dona Branca Delgado's family members did not continue with her. Today, the pastry maintains basically the same characteristics, the industrialization of its manufacture has become the main employer and generator of wealth in the old town.
