Here you will find the posts that relate to traditional dishes and drinks of Madeira. You’ll find one or the other recipe also. You can try them out while staying on Madeira or back home. Madeira’s cuisine is very much like Portuguese cuisine with a twist. The dishes are generally simple, but rich in flavor. There is no room for snobism in Madeiran cuisine. You just get the best out of the fresh ingredients. There’s no excessive processing.
As for drinks, Madeira has its own distinct culture, which you can discover through these blogs. Madeira wine (not to be confused with Port) is unique due to its processing. It enjoys a reputation all over the world for its qualities. But Madeirans have a wealth of other things to offer. Local white and red wines, drinks and cocktails with locally produced sugarcane alcohol. One of the blogs tells you all about the famous Poncha drink.
Pitanga mousse Pitanga Mousse. During your visit to Madeira, you will probably notice the presence of pitanga fruit in local gardens. Consuming this fruit provides various health benefits, partly because of its anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. If you’ve been wondering about any recipes where you could include the pitanga fruit, look no further! Here is …
Pitanga Trees The Pitanga Fruit ( Eugenia uniflora ) is originally from South America, mostly Brazil. However, it can be found today in Africa, in the Caribbean and on the Portuguese island of Madeira. The English name for Pitanga varies between: Brazil Cherry, Suriname Cherry, or Cayenne Cherry. Furthermore, it is only distantly related to …
Madeira sugar cane You probably already know that Madeira is famous for typical and regional products. Some examples are bananas, embroidery and Madeira wine. However, you maybe did not know that Madeira sugar cane (also known as Madeira’s white gold) is also very relevant to Madeira’s history. The sugar industry was an important contributor of …
Madeira Banana Cake You forget some of those extra yummy Madeira Bananas in the fruit bowl. These bananas are on the soft side, ripe or overripe and spotted with brown dots. Great – these bananas are ideal to make Madeira Banana Cake. As bananas ripen, they become sweeter, so the riper the better. Hence, the …
Passion Fruit – Maracuja There are about 4 to 500 different sorts of Passiflora (or Passion Fruit) in the family. Some are edible but not all. The most popular is the Passiflora edulis. Its fruits can be eaten fresh or used to make juices, drinks, jams and many different deserts. The passion fruit is born …
Madeira Tuna Steak. Madeira is a privileged island surrounded by an ocean abounding in fish. Fishes of all sizes are calling the waters around Madeira their home. There are about 550 different species living in Madeiran waters amongst which various species of tuna. Hence, it is no wonder tuna can be found on almost every …
Soup plays a fundamental role in today local Madeira gastronomy. A soup is a typical dish served at nearly all meals. Feira das Sopas do Campo – Boaventura For the 17th time in 2019, the “Casa do Povo” or house of the people of Boaventura runs its solidarity soup fair – Feiras das Sopas do …
Origins The sweet potato originates in South America. Indigenous people of Central and South America domesticated this plant about 5000 years ago. Hence, they ate sweet potato well before their land was “discovered”. The sweet potato, called batata doce in Portuguese (Ipomoea batatas) is a plant belonging to the bindweed or morning glory family. Certainly, …
Picado a Madeirense A Picado or picandinho is a traditional Madeira dish. It is found in most restaurants around the island. The picado is served on an oblong platter on a bed of fries or circled by fries. When you order a picado, you will be asked how many people will be sharing and eating …
Madeira’s Annona cherimola During our Madeira discovery we came across many different fruit varieties. However, one fruit puzzled us: the Annona. Biologist know it as under Annona Cherimola in Latin. Though its more common names are Annona, Cherimoya or Custard Apple. The Portuguese call the green fruit anona. What is a Cherimoya also called Anona …
