''Brazo de Mercedes'' is a traditional

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

meringue

roll Roll or Rolls may refer to: Movement about the longitudinal axis * Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff body (for example a vehicle), describing motion about the longitudinal axis ** Roll (aviation), ...

with a

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fro ...

filling typically dusted with powdered sugar. It is a type of ''

pianono Pionono describes different sweet or savory pastries from Granada, Spain, the Caribbean, South America, and the Philippines. It is named after Pope Pius IX's name in Spanish, . By country Spain Piononos are small pastries traditional in Santa F ...

''.

Origins

Although popularly simply translated as "Mercedes' Arm", it actually means "Arm of Our Lady of Mercy" in Spanish, from

Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes (''Our Lady of Mercy'' in English, a title of the Virgin Mary) was a Spanish Navy frigate which was sunk by the British off the south coast of Portugal on 5 October 1804 during the Battle of Cape Santa Maria. Loss At the time of the naval ...

, a common devotional title for

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

. The dessert dates back to the

Spanish colonial period Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

. It is one of the desserts believed to have been the result of the repurposing of the discarded egg yolks from the use of egg whites for mortar and

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...

in Spanish-Filipino colonial architecture.

Description

Unlike other types of Filipino ''

s'' which are made with rolled chiffon or

sponge cake Sponge cake is a light cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar, sometimes leavened with baking powder. Some sponge cakes do not contain egg yolks, like angel food cake, but most of them do. Sponge cakes, leavened with beaten eggs, originated ...

s, ''brazo de Mercedes'' is made from meringue and thus does not use

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

. The meringue is made from

egg white Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms arou ...

s, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar. The filling is traditionally

made from

egg yolk Among animals which produce eggs, the yolk (; also known as the vitellus) is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg whose primary function is to supply food for the development of the embryo. Some types of egg contain no yolk, for example bec ...

s, sugar, and milk cooked in low heat in a double boiler. Other ingredients like calamansi

zest Zest may refer to: Common usage * Zest (ingredient), the outer peel of a citrus fruit ** Zester, a tool for preparing zest ** Twist (cocktail garnish), a piece of zest * Zest (positive psychology), a component of character Brands * Zest (brand ...

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

, and vanilla extract can also be added to the custard. Once the meringue is baked, the custard is spread evenly on one surface then it is carefully rolled into a cylinder. It is usually chilled and dusted with powdered sugar before being served.

Variants

Modern versions of the dessert can have a variety of different fillings and ingredients. These variations usually have different names, like ''brazo de ube'', ''brazo de pandan'', ''brazo de

buko pandan Buko salad, usually anglicized as young coconut salad, is a Filipino fruit salad dessert made from strips of fresh young coconut (''buko'') with sweetened milk or cream and various other ingredients. It is one of the most popular and ubiquitous F ...

'', ''brazo de

tsokolate ''Tsokolate'' (), also spelled ''chocolate'', is a native Filipino thick hot chocolate drink. It is made from ''tabliya'' or ''tablea'', tablets of pure ground roasted cacao beans, dissolved in water and milk. Like in Spanish and Mexican versi ...

'', ''brazo de mangga'', and so on.

References

{{Filipino food Philippine desserts Cakes Custard desserts Meringue desserts

Origins

Description

Variants

See also

References