The Azores offer wonderful food. Each island has its own specialties. Fish and cheese form the basis of Azorean cuisine, promising culinary delights. Azoreans love to eat well. People take their time when dining out, and it's not uncommon for the whole family to sit at the table. Accordingly, the atmosphere is lively. The restaurants are usually small and often have only a few tables. There's no heavy advertising, as the few pubs and restaurants in small towns are well-known anyway. The menu often consists of only a few dishes. English menus are rare, so it's best to memorize the main dishes so ordering doesn't become a gamble. Everything is always freshly cooked. Garlic is a staple in every dish. Salt is often generous, and spices are also used with pleasure and skill. It's best to order the dish of the day (prato do dia), as it's simple, filling, and inexpensive in the Azores. Moreover, the chef's recommendations are always spot on. The portions are more than sufficient, even for the hungry.
Of course, there is also fine dining in a refined ambiance. The surcharge is usually reflected in fine tablecloths and somewhat more lavish table decorations. Bread and butter are always served with the dishes. It is not uncommon to also find a plate of cream cheese seasoned with a spicy piri-piri sauce on the table. This coberto is paid for later, but the appetizers, which vary from restaurant to restaurant, are often a culinary delight in themselves. Cheese is also part of the appetizers. You can find it on every island. Sao Jorge is considered the best and particularly spicy.
Soups:
The many soups are highly recommended. Every restaurant has a different one, and it's not uncommon to see the hostess herself cooking. They are usually hearty vegetable soups, such as the traditional cabbage soup 'Caldo Verde', which is served quite thick with potatoes and a few slices of smoked sausage. There are also soups with pulses (Sopa de Legumes), with vegetables (Sopa de Hortalicias), with chicken (Sopa de Canja), and with watercress (Sopa de Agriao). Of course, there is also fish soup (Sopa de Peixe). The soups are often thickened. The Sopa do Espírito Santo is only on the menu on Holy Spirit days. More hearty are the various stews, the Caldeiradas, which contain either beef, fish, or chicken. If you order the Caldeirada de Peixe, the broth is served separately from the fish cooked in it.
Fish / Seafood:
If you like eating fish (peixe), the Azores are always the right place. The diversity of species is incredible. It's easy to lose track. Whether grilled or fried, the fruits of the sea are a delicacy. Tasty and always good are sea bass (garoupa), cod fillet (filete de abrotea) and whole fish, such as sea bream (goraz) or boca negra. Whole fish are often grilled. Chicharros, small sardines, are a good side dish. Less common is the red emperor (imperador). Larger fish such as tuna (atum/albacora), silver perch (cherne), sawfish (espadarte) and swordfish (peixe espada) are served sliced or filleted. Fatty and sometimes bony are moray eel (moreia) and conger eel (congr). As everywhere in Portugal, the Azores always have cod (bacalhau), for which there are hundreds of different recipes. Don't miss the barnacles (lapas). They may be relatively expensive, but the contents of the pan served with them taste incomparably delicious grilled and seasoned with garlic and herbs. Squid is available both grilled (lulas) and steamed in red wine (polvo). Then there's a variety of seafood. Grilled or boiled shrimp (camarao) is a popular side dish. Larger varieties include crayfish (lagosta), lobster (lagostinho), king prawns (cavaco), and edible crab (santola). A particular specialty is arroz de marisco, a colorful mixture of different seafood cooked together with rice. Fish restaurants can be recognized by the name 'marisqueira'.
Meat dishes:
In addition to fish and seafood, there are a number of simple meat dishes and stews. The beef from the fresh, green pastures of the Azores is particularly delicious. Beef is also the main ingredient in the famous stew Alcatra, which is especially popular in Terceira on every menu. The beef is cooked in a clay pot. Sao Miguel there is Cozido that Furnas, a mixture of beef, pork, and chicken, cooked with potatoes, vegetables, and sausage in a pot under geothermal heat for several hours in the Furnas caldeiras. The steaks are usually cooked well done. Those who prefer them rare or rare can request this. Steak (bife) is also a standard item. Other dishes include pork loin (lombo de porco) and often small pieces of beef liver (iscas de figado). Feijoada is a nutritious red bean stew.
Attachments:
Potatoes and vegetables are usually served as side dishes. Yam (inhames) is also widely available. It is considered a delicacy and quickly fills you up. Because of the long cooking time of several hours, yam can also be found pre-cooked at the markets. Salads, on the other hand, are rare and serve more as a visual accompaniment. A plate of rice is often served as a second side dish. Depending on taste, they can be seasoned at the table with vinegar, oil, pepper, and salt.
Desserts:
Desserts are rich, but also very sweet. Cakes, puddings, and fresh pineapple are always available. Massa Sovada is a typical dish. You should try 'Arroz Doce,' a sweet rice pudding with cinnamon.
The national dish is bacalhau. Salt cod comes in many variations. Each island has its own specialties. Typical for the island. Sao Miguel is a hot blood sausage with pineapple. Also famous is the stew 'cozido das Furnas', cooked in hot earth. During the festive season in late spring, the Holy Spirit soup 'sopa de espírito santo' is often served, consisting of beef broth, white cabbage, and soaked bread. A fruity and fiery red wine, fresh from the barrel, pairs well with the beef dish 'al catra', a stew of beef, onions, bacon, cabbage, and white wine. For an aperitif, choose a Verdelho, which is based on Pico tastes best, and for dessert a passion fruit liqueur from the island Sao Miguel.
In the few markets and the mercearias, the small general stores, you can find everything you need for a daily picnic. Fresh fruits and vegetables of the highest quality are available year-round. The particularly aromatic pineapple and the dwarf banana grown in the Azores are standard offerings from every vendor. While the selection of breads is limited, you can choose between wheat bread and the much heavier pão de milho, made from cornmeal. A flavorful cheese from [country name missing] goes perfectly with it. São Jorge, Flores or one of the other islands.
Specialties at a glance:
- Alcatra: Beef goulash in red wine sauce
- Alfenim: Sugar specialty
- Arroz de Lapas: goose barnacles with rice
- Arroz Doce: Rice cakes
- Cookies de aguardente: sponge cake with schnapps
- Barrigas de freira: sweet dessert
- Biscoitos de orelha: Biscuit
- Bolinhos de Consoada: Christmas cake
- Bolo de Eve
- Bolo lêvedo das Furnas: sweet corn cake
- Bolo na Panela: Polenta with corn
- Bolo no Tijolo: flat cornbread
- Bolos de Coalhada: milk cake
- Caçoula: meat goulash
- Calde de Nabos: Kohlrabi soup
- Caldeirada de Congro: sea bass soup
- Caldeirada de Peixe com Maçã: Fish soup with apples
- Caldeirada de Peixe: hot fish soup
- Caldo Azedo: Sauerkraut soup
- Fish soup
- Capuchos: Capuchins
- Coelho de Molho de Vilão: Rabbit in spicy sauce
- Confeitos da Ribeira Grande: Confectionery
- coscorões
- Couves Solteiras: Cabbage Soup
- Cozido das Caldeiras: boiled meat or fish stew
- Cozido de Porco: fried pork
- Doce Branco: white compote
- Encharcados de Ovos: egg tarts
- Feijão com Cabeça de Porco: Pork with beans
- Fervedouros: cabbage and potato soup
- Filetes de Molho Ferrado: Fish fillets in a spicy sauce
- Lapas de Molho de Afonso: barnacle soup
- Linguiça com Inhame: fried meat sausage with yams
- Malassadas: sweet dough
- Massa Sovada: sweet bread
- Molha de Carne: Meat goulash with potatoes in a stoneware pot
- Molhos de Dobrada
- Molhos de Porco: Pork sauce
- Morcela: black pudding
- Rice cakes
- Pastries from Ervas Marinhas
- Polvo Guisado em Vinho de Cheiro: Octopus in wine sauce
- Queijadas: Cheesecakes
- Rosquilhas de Aguardente: liquor cake
- Sarapatel: Pork goulash
- Cress soup
- Sopas do Espírito Santo: Holy Spirit soup
- Suspiros: Meringue
- Tigeladas: sweet dessert
- Torresmos de Molho de Fígado: Pork in liver sauce
- Torresmos de Porco: Pork chop
- Torresmos de Vinho e Alhos: Pork chop in garlic sauce
- Vésperas Eating Out:
To eat out:
For 10 euros, you can get a good meal. Of course, if you order a full, multi-course meal, you'll have to dig a little deeper into your pockets. You often get the best food in simple restaurants.
Those who just want a bite to eat can fortify themselves with small bites in the ubiquitous bars. There are small snacks, sandwiches, and bite-sized meat and fish dishes. Men spend their evenings in these bars. They sit together, have a drink, and exchange the day's news.
The cafés and bars are important social meeting places where you can encounter real life. A visit is definitely worth it.
Drinks:
One of the most popular drinks on the islands is, of course, beer. There's a local brand called Especial. It's quite drinkable and quite cheap: a small beer costs about 50 cents. Coffee is also a must. During the day, people prefer the Galao, which is served in a glass with plenty of milk. In the evening, they drink the Cafè, which is comparable to an espresso.
Of course, they also produce a very good wine of their own. It is distributed by several cooperatives. Well-known brands include... Pico These are the white 'Terras de Lava' or the red 'Basalto'. From Graciosa comes the red and white 'Terra do Conde'. Every restaurant and bar also offers the house brand, fresh from the barrel. This 'Vinho de Cheiro' is a powerful, dark red wine with a bite. It comes from American vines that have not yet been grafted and sometimes seems a bit harsh at first sip. Each island has its own wine-growing region. Therefore, there are many different wines. The best are said to be from Biscoitos, St. Lawrence and freshman come. Most of the wine comes from Pico, Terceira and GraciosaBut wines from the mainland are also offered in the restaurants. The most famous dessert wine of the Azores is Verdelho. Pico and GraciosaMany old Verdelho vines fell victim to phylloxera in the 19th century. Since then, lessons have been learned. Year after year, it is produced into a high-proof spirit. To finish, a delicious liqueur or schnapps is recommended. The pomace brandy 'Aguardente', a clear brandy, is made from the second pressing of the grapes. Aguardente Velho aged in wooden barrels is particularly delicious. Fig brandy (Figo) is also delicious. Sao Miguel Then comes the passion fruit liqueur (Lico de Maracuja).
Mineral water is available directly in the Azores, so you don't always have to buy the large canisters imported from the mainland.
