Minas Gerais is also known for its sweets (Doces) made from various fruit pastes, that are often seen in huge wheels of candy. They are pretty impressive to see – imagine a treat the size of a giant Parmesean wheel – but in vivid orange, green or pink! You then pay by the weight to get a little chunk for yourself to take home. When we were in Minas Gerais we saw these giant wheels of candy around town, but even if you are not in Minas, major grocery stores often boast their own doces for sale by weight.
Cocada/ Doce de Coco – made from Coconut.
There are shops all around Ouro Preto advertising that they sell “Doces Caseiros / Tradicionais” (Homemade/Traditional Sweets). Though we are quite familiar with Doce de leite, we had never encountered some of these varieties before such as: Doce de Abóbora (pumpkin candy), Doce de Goiaba (Guava Candy) and Doce de Coco (Coconut Candy). The consistency of these treats is basically like fudge, though maybe a little more dense.
Doces Caseiros in Rio
Also popular in Minas are sweet in spreadable form, especially variations on doce de leite (dulce de leche or milk caramel). You will see this type of spread very commonly with add-ins or swirls of another flavor – including chocolate and peanut. We had a chunk of doce de leite/peanut candy in Ouro Preto and it was heavenly, especially since we were going through peanut butter withdrawal.
Eating The World 