Covilhete: the savoury born out of a tin

The fame of the city of Vila Real blends into that of the covilhete and vice-versa. This golden, coarse pie, made with Marão minced beef, is one of the oldest and most typical specialities of the municipality of Vila Real.

In the old days, the covilhete was inseparable from the feast and market of Santo António, the patron saint of Vila Real. Accounts from the 19th century report the existence of stalls erected exclusively to sell them. Later, they also became popular at the Senhor do Calvário and Nossa Senhora de Almodena feasts and at Carnival.

As restaurants and eateries sprang up from 1880, the covilhetes, accompanied by oven rice, featured in their menus, next to veal or tripe. Their popularity was growing and, in the 20th century, there were even those who would sell them door to door, kept in wicker trays protected by linen cloths.

Gradually, the covilhete became the delight of the townspeople and aroused the curiosity and appetite of outsiders. Today, it is indisputably lord and master of the gourmet products of Vila Real.

Named after the tin

About 10cm in diameter, the covilhete inherited its name from the tin in which it was made in the past. “The name comes from the thick black clay bowl, which is typical of our region. Now, it’s not so much made in these bowls, all the more so as we need to make large amounts,” Rosa Maria Cramez, the owner of Casa Lapão, one of the establishments producing and selling this savoury treat,  explains.

 

 

Text: Patricia Posse | Daniel Faiões

The original recipe prescribed a dough made with flour, water, olive oil, salt and suet (the fat from around the kidney). Because of the nature of the dough, this speciality should be eaten hot, as it comes out of the oven. When it became popular, the dough involving the Marão beef developed into a semi-flaky pastry, so as to keep it edible for longer.

Rosa Maria says that its making respects the traditional methods and that is what accounts for the end quality. “We work the products as our grandfathers and great-grandfathers did. The raw material is best quality and no colourings or preservatives are used.”

After kneading the flour with the water and the salt, a ball is made to be divided into smaller ones. These are rubbed in olive oil and left to rest. The mincemeat uses veal and onion and is left to cool down.

The dough is rolled out on a flat worktop and daubed in suet. After it is rolled, the same procedure is used for the next ball which is rolled over the previous one and so forth, until a roll of the desired diameter is obtained. 

The final roll is cut into slices and these (particularly the more imperfect) are used to line the tins. Then the minced meat is added, and covered with more perfectly formed circles, which are stuck to the walls of the pie. When cooked, the covilhete displays its typical cover, convex and in a spiral. The whole process takes about one hour.

An unforgettable taste

In the Casa Lapão alone, 60 covilhetes are produced per day, on average, and the number increases at the weekend. So if you go to Vila Real, don’t try to resist it. It’s a must to try one and it’s not difficult to find them, because they’re on sale in several bakeries and cafes in the city throughout the year.

"You can eat them for breakfast or for tea, with coffee or orange juice. Older people still have them for a meal at the weekend," says Rosa Maria.

Tourists might find the name awkward, but the taste of the covilhete lingers on and makes you cry for a second helping. "They struggle to pronounce the name, but once they’ve tasted it, they love it. In 2011, an Indian tourist came here who was touring the world and said he had never seen or eaten savoury snacks as good as ours."

Texto: Patrícia Posse | Daniel Faiões  

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