YOUR DIET JUST WENT TO HELL !


 



Imagine that almost everything on your menu was grown, raised, caught or made here. Imagine it is fresh, plentiful and artistically presented. Imagine you can afford it. 

Actually you don’t need to imagine anything because that is the reality.


The breakfast buffet that is included with your room features local cheeses. Each island makes a distinctive cheese and they are all worthy of second helpings. You get to eat five different kinds this morning.


 There are baskets of six different kinds of fresh bread. Lots of fresh butter and local jams. My personal favorite is Portuguese Sweet Bread. It is called Massa Sovada. You may have tasted something similar called Hawaiian Sweet Bread . The bread was brought to Hawaii by Azorean Portuguese immigrants who came to work thecane plantations.It is uncommon to find this bread on mainland Portugal.



My Ava (Grandmother) use to make Massa Sovada around Easter. Her recipe took a dozen eggs, which is what gives the bread the light yellow color. As she kneaded the dough and let it set to rise a second time, the whole house had a wonderful sweet yeast smell.It is lighter and softer than white bread.


The Azorean tradition is to make each loaf with a hard boiled egg inside. The egg represents new life and the resurrection of Christ.


Fresh eggs, bacon, sausage, and mushrooms filled the long buffet serving tables.There were bowls with local pineapple and melon chunks. Lots of coffee and fresh squeezed orange and pineapple juice. Even the tea is local. The only tea plantation in all of Europe is located on the island of Sao Miguel.


The Portuguese are said to know how to fix cod fish one thousand different ways. I have tried two of them and both were delicious. The beef is tender and raised here.

The linguisa sausage from the pigs fattened up on the island. 


On some of these islands the local bakery will deliver. They come early in the morning and hang plastic bags on your door knob filled with freshly baked pastries. 



I LOVE fresh seafood and it does not come any fresher than my main course at dinner tonight. It was baked octopus over “rustic” potatoes. You didn’t know what rustic potatoes were either. We discovered they are just a fancy name for boiled potatoes that have been left unpeeled and squashed flat and drizzled with olive oil. Look closely at the photo and you can see them in the bottom of the dish. Honestly it was a delicious entree.  






Comments

  1. Paige NormanApril 10, 2023 at 10:29 AM

    My travel tip: Dieting on vacation is a waste of time and energy. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousApril 10, 2023 at 11:00 PM

      Thanks. Paige. I agree and eating local is part of the cultural experience.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sky Lounge Serenade by Steve Martin impersonator!

Image
  STILL in Miami airport…..but sought refuge at the Delta Sky Lounge. Nice A/C, snacks, way to charge iPad and comfortable chairs. Pretty quiet too except for the guy sitting across from me.  A nice looking elegant older gentleman in a blue blazer top, tan pants, nice luggage and looks a lot like Steven Martin. (Is Steve Martin still alive?) Could be him?  But no mustache, could be a relative? It is very quiet here. He is focused on his cell phone…….holding it close so I know he has vision problems and refusing to wear glasses….He has a plate of salad, cheese and salami in front of him.  I can hardly keep from laughing out loud. The silence here is broken by his belching. I don’t mean once or twice, I mean about a dozen times. Not discrete little ones, loud ones that spoil his sophisticated image.  All the people around me keep looking over at him. It is suppose to be quiet in here. I already got in trouble from the Delta Sky Lounge snooty police for a cell pho...
Read more
Image
  Just Another Day Minus A Bull Big puffy clouds cast shadows across the sun’s warmth. A perfect “just another day’. There were only 12 pigeons and I at the swimming pool this morning. It was quiet. Most of the guests go on tours in the morning before the afternoon humidity becomes uncomfortable. Just me and the pigeons hanging out! Cattle thrives on this island and is grass fed. The restaurants all serve amazing tender steaks. You can cut them with a fork and they cost less than that Burger King combo at home. While they call the dinner plate of steak “Filet Mignon” it is not a small round morsel. It is the size of a nice size Porterhouse or New York steak but no bone. This afternoon I rode the .30 cent bus downtown and wandered around until it just got too hot ! There are numerous plaza’s and parks with benches and shady trees but every shady spot was filled. So while the traditional bullfight that takes place on the streets, was on my to do list.....some adjustments have been ma...
Read more
Image
 ADEUS Have you every tried to pull yarn out of a skein only to discover as your pull there are hidden tangles...knots di ffi cult to unravel...sometimes one after another. Researching family history feels like that. At least mine does. Here in the Azores a person can choose to use their mothers last name or their fathers. Sometimes multiple generations will use the exact same name, or a child will be named for a previous child that died. Sometimes other person’s names are used, like a famous person or good friend. Or you might wind up with a Grandmother like one of mine who simply invented her name. The possibilities can be endless. Dates and locations became very important as I have tried to untangle knots. It feels like once I get one sorted out then suddenly a couple more pop up! Plus the obvious fact that most of the people I am trying to learn more about have been dead a very long time. So for every step forward this week I have more unanswered questions....but I also now hav...
Read more