Rice Pudding Cream Liqueur Queen of the Islands 0,7L

There are many different recipes of rice pudding in many other countries. Most likely, our recipe originated in Persia, where rice is cooked in milk and then is sweetened with honey and flavoured with spices. From there, it would have been taken to the Iberian Peninsula. However, there are those who attribute the authorship of this dessert to the Indians and other Asian countries, where it would be prepared with coconut milk.
We owe the rice cultivation to the Moors, since the VII/VIII century. The name (ar-ruz – to our spelling “arroz”) seems to confirm this.
But it was only in the 16th century that its fame arrives.  The rice flour white desserts of nobility banquets gave place to the rice pudding sold by the women, on the streets of Lisbon - our delicious rice pudding!
 
The Portuguese style rice dessert "à Portuguesa"
The first citation of rice in a Portuguese recipe can be found in the Infanta D. Maria (1538-1577) recipe book. The initial recipe is from Caderno dos Manjares de Leite and refers to Manjar-branco, whose rice is transformed into flour to give consistency to the sweet. Another is the Tigelada de leite, which presents the variation of making rice cooked with milk, probably this is the recipe that gave rise to the nowadays rice pudding – Arroz Doce -  that delights us so much and was taken to other countries, with the designation “ Portuguesa ”.

In “Il Panuto Toscano”, a manuscript later transformed into a book, written by Francesco Gaudenzio (1648-1733),  was discovered no more than our actual rice pudding recipe!