Serradura
Serradura, also known as sawdust pudding or Macau pudding, is a well-known Portuguese dessert, popular in both Portugal and Macau, as well as Goa, with a layered appearance alternating between whipped cream and crumbled Marie biscuit.
The name serradura is a Portuguese word for “sawdust”, which refers to the way the biscuits look in the pudding, as they are crushed very fine into crumbs.
Origin and history
Serradura is a dessert originated in Portugal, which became famous in Macau. It is a very common dessert that can be easily found in different restaurants and bakeries in Macau, which is why Serradura is chosen as one of the must-try foods of Macau.Serradura was introduced to Macau during a time when Macau was under the colonial rule of Portugal. It can also be found in Hong Kong, in Goa, India, and various Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries.
Varieties
Flavours
Traditionally, Serradura was in the flavour of tea biscuits, also known as Marie biscuits, and whipped cream. Later on, it has been developed into many different flavours, including Oreo, coffee beans, nuts, green tea, and so on, by varying on the cream or the biscuits crumbs. For the sawdust, some recipes use biscuits or powder to mix with Marie biscuits or even replace it. As for the variation on the cream, some recipes may add different flavourings to the cream to create other taste such as chocolate, strawberry, green tea etc.Form
In terms of the form that Serradura is served, it usually comes in two types, cake or pudding. The cake type Serradura is frozen into a harder state so that the texture of it is a bit like ice cream. For the pudding style, it is also frozen but with a higher temperature, so that the cream solidify to a lower level to create a creamy texture.Recipe
Serradura is quite easy to make, and only a few ingredients are needed. Condensed milk, Marie biscuit crumbs and whipping cream are the most common ingredients of Serradura, but sometimes thick cream would be used to replace whipping cream. Spread the whisked cream and the biscuits crumbs into a container alternately, after condensation in fridge for five to six hours, the dessert can be served.As Serradura is more common and popular nowadays, people started to create new flavors, like green tea, chocolate, coffee and Oreo flavours. To add different flavors into Serradura, green tea powder, vanilla extract or any other flavours can be added into the cream. Then, whisk them together. Another way to make some changes according to individual preferences is to replace the Marie biscuits with other biscuits, such as Oreo.