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.
Gluten Free on Madeira A gluten allergy or intolerance is, unfortunately, a fairly common problem. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. If a person suffers from a gluten intolerance, this protein can cause digestive problems such as gassiness, abdominal pains and cramps or diarrhea. Celiac disease is the most severe form …
Vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurants on Madeira With a lot of traditional fish– and meat-based dishes in most restaurants, it can feel quite challenging to find vegetarian food on the island of Madeira. If you want to avoid having to eat the main dish sides during your stay, then you’re on the right page. Here’s …
Recipe: Bolo de Caco The Bolo de Caco is a must try for all visitors to Madeira Island or Porto Santo. It is vegetarian circular muffins-like bread and can hence be appreciated by nearly everyone. They are made with a mixture of sweet potato and wheat and are cooked on a basalt stone slab over …
Passion fruit or Maracuja is one of the most popular fruits on Madeira next to Bananas. Passion fruit is famous for its exceptional flavor and for its many uses. It can be sliced open, spooned out and eaten fresh or used in Poncha for example. It is also present in the Brisa Maracuja, a fresh …
Madeira Table Wines The Archipelago of Madeira is well known and famous for its Madeira Wine. Madeira wine is a fortified wine and you can read our posts about its history, its fame and about the various types. However, this post talks about “regular” table wines from Madeira Island. The regular, non-fortified wines are much …
Coffee is the heartbeat of the community Coffee is akin to religion (no offense) to many Portuguese. The Portuguese are partially responsible for the universal success of coffee, when Sr de Mello Palheta was sent from Brazil to French Guiana to fetch a coffee plant in 1727. In the following years, the Portuguese established the …
The Espetada Regional or Espetada Madeirense is a traditional dish on the island. Some even claim that it is the most typical dish of Madeira! Many decades ago, people waited for a special event, a festivity or an arraial (pilgrimage) to eat espetada. They gathered in groups and ate espetada with friends around a big …
Noble Grapes of Madeira Madeirans use about 20 different varieties of grapes to make Madeira wine. The most known ones are Sercial, Verdelho, Boal / Bual and Malvasia / Malmsy. Two other ones are Terrantez (nearly extinct) and Bastardo. These are much less common. From left to right; 10-year-old Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, Malmsey Sercial This …
Scabbardfish? Espada? The black scabbard (or scabbardfish or in Portuguese: espada) is a fish species living in the great depths of the Atlantic Ocean. It is very common on Madeira and can be found in most restaurants. Ingredients for 2 persons 2 filets of black scabbard, about 200gr each 2 Madeira bananas A pinch …
The Americas Madeira wine was the most favored American wine from the time of the pilgrims until the Civil War. For a wine coming from a Portuguese island, that is remarkable. But there is an explanation. In 1665, the British banned the import into the New World of all European products not transported on …
What is Poncha? Poncha is a typical Madeiran alcoholic cocktail. You find it in most bars and cafés and is mostly prepared fresh on demand. The ingredients are lemon, honey and aguardente de cana – sugar cane alcohol. The beverage is highly alcoholic but drinks easily like juice which can be problematic. Hence we advise …
