One of the biggest attractions in the island of San Miguel (Azores) is the Furnas meat stew: pork, chicken and beef, Portuguese smoked sausages and a lot of vegetables, all cooked in a very peculiar way. How peculiar?
Well, the ingredients are placed inside a large pan, which is then covered with a bag and put inside of a hole in the volcanic soil that presents high temperatures. The last step consists of putting a wooden lid and cover up the hole with soil. Cooking time: seven hours in those natural kitchens.
I couldn't miss having the stew at one of the various restaurants by the lake. Honestly, I didn't like it very much. The taste was totally different from the dish that is served in mainland Portugal.©Belita
I saw something like this on the PBS channel. It was very interesting and the host of the show didn't like the taste of the food either. I guess it takes some getting used to? This is a great interpretation of the theme!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would ever get used to that taste...
DeleteThanks for your kind comment, Danette!
Hi Belita!! Good entry!! I've heard of this method of cooking in several other places around the world. I'd like to try it, just to see how it is. I'm always willing to try new things when it comes to food :-))
ReplyDeleteI understand you would like to try but I doubt you would like that peculiar taste...
DeleteInteresting and peculiar indeed, actually in Sardinia there is a rather similar way to cook pork. They dig a hole in the soil and burn wood, then they put the pork on these burned wood and the it cook...
ReplyDeletePS: but what happen if the volcano erupt? :)))
I didn't know about Sardinia but I remember when I travelled to Ischia, I went to a beach (don't know its name now) and got an egg cooked by burying it in the sand. It was a unique experience...
DeleteIf the volcano erupts there will be no stew...
I'll admit..I am greatly spoiled and will stick to my electric stove!!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Belita!!
Rather eccentric, maybe it's one of those "Ripley's believe it or not kind of things.
ReplyDeleteCooking in the ground reminds me of a New England Clam bake. It's cooked in the sand too, heating rocks and using wet seaweed. The food is steamed. Is this sausage linguica? It is sold here in the States.
ReplyDeleteNot exactly. Linguiça is a thin sausage and that used in the stew is thicker...
DeleteI remember clam bakes, but they were usually on the beach and involved a hole with burning driftwood, covered by wet seaweed, then the clams and covered with sand.
ReplyDeleteIt usually took a six pack before they were ready to eat, so I don't remember how they tasted.
This also reminds me a little of the "balut" which I encountered in Viet Nam and The Philippines. As I recall they weren’t that tasty either, but they were consumed not so much as food but as a test of courage and manhood.
It didn’t matter how brave you were on the field of battle, if you refused a balut in Saigon, or tried it but couldn’t keep it down you were forever a “cherry” no matter how long you were in country.
In Manila, I saw balut being sold on the streets but never tried...
DeleteReminds me of "how to cook a Tandoori chicken" in India. I think they are cooked buried in the warm earth. Interesting
ReplyDeleteHavent you tried in Turkey Belita ?
ReplyDeletea natural energy source! environmentally friendly :)
ReplyDeleteLovely shots for a very interesting post Belita
ReplyDelete火山灰？とてもユニークで興味深い調理法です。まったく異なる文化を見るのは楽しいです。ありがとう♪♪♪
ReplyDeleteYes, Michiko, San Miguel is a volcanic island and so is the whole archipelago of the Azores. I agree with you, different cultures are always interesting. Thanks!
Delete