Ovos moles, a traditional confectionery from Aveiro, originated in the 15th century as a remedy for tuberculosis, owing to the strengthening effect that egg yolk and sugar mixtures had on the lungs.
Around 500 years later, Rui Rocha and Mário Amorim Lopes, the leading candidate for IL in Aveiro, donned aprons to create the traditional conventual sweet but introduced a twist: a liberal recipe.
In the initial step of the recipe—separating yolks from whites—Rui Rocha refrained from handling the eggs, leaving the task to Mário Amorim Lopes. As Lopes cracked the eggs, he extolled the need to “break the taxes,” autonomous levies, bureaucracy (where the yolk mixed with the white), or the IRS.
Ultimately, neither was satisfied with the results: “It’s too orange, can’t we add a blue ingredient?” queried Rui Rocha, with a shopwoman commenting that it wasn’t necessary as the yolks had “enough proteins.”
“No, no, it needs more, much more energy. The more energy, the better,” stated the IL leader, joking to the journalists that it was time to “change the overly orange tone that has prevailed recently.”
Using a wooden spoon, the IL leader attempted to mix the yolks with a sugar syrup that should be boiling but quickly encountered an issue: the old camping stove used to heat the syrup wasn’t working.
“I’m not quite sure if this will boil,” said a doubtful Rui Rocha, who, when asked if even IL’s efforts couldn’t heat the syrup, acknowledged some resistance but assured that his party does not falter in adverse conditions, even electoral ones.
After the elections, “the ideal conditions would be for IL to have an absolute majority. We won’t. We have to govern by what the Portuguese decide and do our best with what they give us,” he stated.
Unable to heat the concoction prepared by Rui Rocha and Mário Amorim Lopes, another pot was brought in, already containing yolks mixed with sugar, ready to fill wafer-based designs shaped like shells, barrels, or conches, which the IL leader split into two rows: one side for health, housing, taxes, and the electoral system, and the other for bureaucracy alone.
All proceeded to the next step: trimming with scissors, but Rui Rocha focused solely on the bureaucracy wafers to ensure a “tight cut” and that it was “well-fitted.” He cut so close that the shopwoman suggested “a bit more margin.”
“I’m not cutting too much; I’m cutting just enough,” replied Rui Rocha, laughing. Upon completing the final step, he mastered the recipe for ovos moles and, above all, the liberal version.
“Everything is necessary: building, connecting the mixture, growing, combining the right ingredients, the right people, the right policies. And that allows us to alleviate the burdens on Portuguese people and businesses from what weighs them down and doesn’t create value,” Rui Rocha remarked, confident that the “easiest” part was cracking the eggs.
The expectation among IL members for the recipe’s outcome was so high that, before the ovos moles made it to the oven, they quickly grabbed from the dish prepared by Rui Rocha and Mário Amorim Lopes, with some journalists daring a taste as well.
Finally, triumphant, the IL leader turned to the journalists with an empty plate: “Not a single one left,” he joked.
