Gastronomy: Some of the specialties the visitor must experiment are: “fervedouro” (boiled cabbages), “caldo azedo”, “torresmos de molho de fígado” (hog’s fat), sausage with yam, “assado misto” (roast meat), roasted or stewed octopus, “arroz de lapas” and “lapas de molho afonso” (limpets), fish stew, “chicharrinhos com molho vilăo” (fried saurel), black pudding with pineapple, and the hollow’s meat course. In what concerns to shellfish, limpets, furrows, lobsters and crabs are delicacies to taste.
In the sweets menu, we suggest: “massa sovada” and “bolos levedos” (sweet bread), “queijadas de Vila Franca”, “fofas da Povoaçăo” and “Barrigas de Freira”.
You’ll certainly find a pleasant time tasting the different cheeses the islands offer: soft cheese, dry cheese, or fresh cow or goat milk cheeses.
The pineapple of Sao Miguel is a must at the end of a meal.
Vinho de Cheiro (a kind of strawberry wine) is produced in the island, being the most famous the one produced in Caloura region. Worthy of mention are also the liqueurs, namely the pineapple and passion fruit liqueurs.
The tea, produced in Gorreana and Porto Formoso places, is also a much appreciated drink.