The best food and drink in the Azores

05.11.2024 - 20:21 / lonelyplanet.com

Nov 5, 2024 • 6 min read

Sandra is an Azorean native who has researched and written the first Lonely Planet guide to the Azores .

Azorean cuisine is a mix of the first settlers’ influences from mainland Portugal — the Algarve and Alentejo, in the south, and northeastern Trás-os-Montes — and the make-do resourcefulness brought by the need to include whatever the islands gave them: seaweeds, taro, sweet potatoes. The base ingredients might differ slightly, but the Azoreans continued to use herbs and spices to enhance the new recipes’ flavors. Seafood, pork and beef are at the base of most traditional staple dishes, preferably paired with local wines from a revived and thriving winemaking industry.

Taste the flavors of the Azores with this guide to local dishes and drinks, and the best places to try them.

Faith in a higher power is strong in the Azores, caused by centuries of enduring storms and earthquakes in almost complete isolation. The origins and the peculiarities of the annual festivities in honor of Espírito Santo (Holy Ghost) are complex to explain, but the cult brings out the sense of community holding the Azoreans together since the first settlers. Whoever is around is invited to sit and eat, and everyone is served while the food lasts. Each island will have its version of this free-for-all meal, and it sometimes varies within the same island, but the soup is common to all: broth with bread, seasoned with herbs and spices.

Where to try it: These communal feasts usually happen on Sundays after Mass on any island between April and June. Ask around to find out which town is hosting one.

On São Jorge Island, most of the milk produced on local farms is entirely used in making the island’s certified cheese — the quality of which is verified by a select group of official tasters. The cheesemaking process is industrialized to a minimum. Although it’s not a small-scale production, a lot of time, care, and patience goes into each cheese. With a spicy taste and a rich texture, the older the cheese, the tangier it gets, so aim for the 3-month-old ones if you prefer something milder.

Where to try it: Uniqueijo, Finisterra (Topo), Lourais.

Tortas de erva patinha (egg and Atlantic nori fried patties) perfectly symbolizes how the Azoreans learned to cook with what they had. Made with Atlantic nori algae, eggs, flour, herbs and spices, you can eat them as a petisco (food to share) or a meal. They’re a little salty and not the most attractive dish (I only grew to like them much later as an adult), so it won’t appeal to all palates.

Where to try it: Restaurante Pôr-do-Sol (Flores Island).

Pico Island's vineyards became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, and the Azores Wine Region witnessed a renaissance, reviving