The first reference to the sweet dates back to March 1951, being included in the menu of a wedding held in Côja. The catering services of Café Santa Cruz were renowned for their quality and were requested for weddings, baptisms, birthday parties, pastoral visits, celebrations of significant dates, or receptions for honored guests (especially by the City Hall or the University of Coimbra).
The Crúzio is presented in a box with an illustration inspired by the ancient spirituality of the space and one of the stained-glass windows that are part of the identity of this commercial establishment.
Inside the box, a small plant guards, protects, and tells us who the Crúzios were. In it, the panel of tiles located on the left side of the chancel of the Church of Santa Cruz is reproduced, which was one of the sources of inspiration for the name given to this sweet.
On it, you can read the text written by Father Dr. José Bento Vieira, former Canon of the Diocese of Coimbra and Prior of the Church of Santa Cruz:
The Regular Canons who lived in Santa Cruz were called “Crúzios.” This designation extended to all who lived in the shadow of the Monastery and who, although residing outside, were attached to the institution. D. Afonso Henriques was also a Crúzio, as he was one of the founders, having “professed” as a member of the Third Order of Santa Cruz. The tile panel depicted here is located on the left side of the chancel of the Church of Santa Cruz and shows D. Afonso Henriques being admitted to the Order, with the Prior imposing the habit on him.
In recent years, Crúzio has already achieved several distinctions:
– Gold Medal at the National Competition of Traditional Portuguese Confectionery, held at the National Agriculture Fair of Santarém, in the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020;
– Gold Medal at the 2nd Conventual and Traditional Confectionery Competition of Coimbra in 2016;
– Portugal 5 Stars award in the “Regional Sweets” category in 2018;
– Nominated for the 7 Wonders – Sweets of Portugal in 2019;
– Best Narrative at the European Food Gift Challenge – Regional Phase – organized by CIM-RC, in 2021.
Crúzios: Traditional Sweet from Coimbra