São Miguel
Volcanic heat, Atlantic fish, island fruit and tea plantations shape the table of São Miguel.
AZORES ARCHIPELAGO · PORTUGAL
Azores
✦
Nine Atlantic islands with distinctive cuisines shaped by the sea, pastureland and volcanic soil.See what to eat↓
RegionAzoresLocal picks65Coordinates37.74° N · 25.68° WCome hungry. Leave with stories.
THE ARCHIPELAGO AT THE TABLE
Taste the archipelago
What to taste across Azores?
Specialities associated with the archipelago's places and local traditions.
At the table
Savoury dishes associated with places across this archipelago.
Soups01
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Sopa de Funcho
A traditional São Miguel soup flavoured with aromatic fennel, a herb long used in Azorean cuisine.Fish02
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Caldeirada de Peixe à Micaelense
A traditional São Miguel fish stew combining fresh Atlantic fish with potatoes, tomatoes, onions and aromatic seasonings.Seafood03
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Polvo Guisado
Slow-cooked octopus, often prepared with wine and spices.Meat04
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Morcela com Ananás dos Açores
A classic São Miguel combination of fried blood sausage with sweet and slightly acidic Azorean pineapple.Meat05
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Cozido das Furnas
São Miguel’s great gastronomic symbol: meats, cured sausages and vegetables slowly cooked using the geothermal heat of Furnas.Meat06
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Bife à Regional de São Miguel
An iconic São Miguel beef steak served in a rich, aromatic sauce, traditionally topped with a fried egg.Meat07
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Favas à Moda de São Miguel
A traditional São Miguel dish of broad beans slowly cooked with pork and regional sausages.Meat08
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Torresmos de Molho de Fígado
A traditional São Miguel pork dish with pieces of pork cooked in a rich, intensely flavoured liver sauce.Vegetarian15
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Queijo do Pico DOP
A cured raw cow’s-milk cheese with a semi-soft, buttery ivory paste.Vegetarian18
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Bolo de Sertã das Flores
Traditional flat breads from Flores Island, cooked on a hot griddle known locally as a sertã.Fish19
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Peixe com Molho de Vilão
A traditional Azorean fish dish served with a tangy sauce of vinegar, garlic and regional red pepper paste.Vegetarian21
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Queijo São Jorge DOP
A cured raw cow’s-milk cheese with a hard or semi-hard paste and an intense, sometimes piquant flavour.Seafood22
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Amêijoas de São Jorge
Fresh clams from São Jorge Island, prized for their delicate flavour and close connection to the island’s coastal cuisine.Vegetarian26
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Tortas de Erva do Calhau
Traditional savoury fritters prepared with a wild coastal plant gathered on Corvo.Vegetarian27
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Queijo do Corvo
A traditional cow’s milk cheese from Corvo Island, reflecting the island’s small-scale dairy farming tradition.Soups28
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Couves da Barça
A traditional dish from Corvo Island made with cabbage and pork, characteristic of the island’s rustic home cooking.Fish29
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Caldeirada de Congro
A traditional fish stew from Flores Island prepared with conger eel, potatoes and aromatic seasonings.Soups31
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Caldo de Nabos
A hearty traditional soup made with turnips, pork and local vegetables.Soups32
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Sopa do Império
A festive bread-based soup traditionally served during the Holy Spirit celebrations.Meat33
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Caçoila
Slow-cooked marinated meat, traditionally prepared with aromatic spices and wine.Fish37
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Peixe Assado na Folha da Figueira
A traditional Graciosa dish in which fresh fish is wrapped in fig leaves and roasted, giving it a distinctive aroma.Meat38
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Linguiça com Inhame
A traditional Graciosa dish combining seasoned Azorean pork sausage with boiled taro.Meat39
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Molha de Carne
A traditional Azorean meat stew, particularly associated with Pico and Faial, slowly cooked in a richly seasoned sauce.Meat40
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Molho de Fígado
A traditional Graciosa dish of pork liver cooked in a richly seasoned sauce.Fish44
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Caldeirada de Peixe
A hearty fish stew made with fresh Atlantic catch, potatoes, tomatoes and aromatic seasonings.Seafood45
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Polvo Guisado
Tender octopus slowly stewed with wine, onion and aromatic island seasonings.Meat46
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Molha de Carne
A traditional Azorean meat stew slowly cooked in a richly seasoned sauce and commonly served with bread.Vegetarian49
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Queijo Vaquinha
Cow’s-milk cheese produced on Terceira and rooted in the island’s dairy tradition.Soups50
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Sopas do Espírito Santo
Bread soaked in meat broth, traditionally served during Holy Spirit festivities across Terceira.Soups51
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Sopa de Funcho
A comforting traditional soup scented with the fresh, distinctive aroma of fennel.Fish52
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Caldeirada de Peixe à Açoreana
Fresh Atlantic fish slowly cooked with potatoes, onion and aromatic seasoning.Seafood53
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Polvo Guisado
Octopus slowly stewed until tender in an aromatic, richly seasoned sauce.Meat54
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Alheira e Linguiça
Smoked sausages with a strong presence on Azorean tables and in Terceira’s regional cooking.Meat55
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Alcatra da Terceira
Beef slowly cooked in a traditional earthenware pot with wine and aromatic spices.Local sweets
Pastries and traditional sweets worth making room for.
Sweets09
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Ananás dos Açores
Traditionally grown in greenhouses on the island and one of São Miguel’s most emblematic products.Sweets10
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Queijadas da Vila Franca do Campo
Small traditional queijadas from Vila Franca do Campo, strongly associated with the island.Sweets11
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Bolo Lêvedo
A soft, lightly sweet bread-cake typical of Furnas.Sweets16
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Rosquilhas do Pico
Traditional ring-shaped sweet breads from Pico Island, with a soft texture and delicate aroma.Sweets20
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Flóricas
Traditional sweets from Flores Island, prepared from a simple dough and shaped into characteristic flower-like forms.Sweets23
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Espécies de São Jorge
Small pastries with delicate dough and an aromatic spiced filling, especially associated with Ribeira Seca.Sweets24
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Rosquilhas
Traditional ring-shaped pastries associated with festivities and religious celebrations.Sweets30
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Torradas
A traditional sweet from Corvo Island, made from slices of bread enriched with eggs and sugar.Sweets34
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Biscoitos de Orelha
Crisp traditional biscuits from Santa Maria, easily recognised by their characteristic twisted shape.Sweets35
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Melindres
Small traditional biscuits with a light texture and a sweet glazed finish.Sweets41
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Queijadas da Graciosa
The island’s signature sweet: small star-shaped pastries with a delicate shell and a rich milk-and-egg filling.Sweets42
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Massa Sovada
Soft, lightly sweet Azorean bread traditionally prepared for celebrations and religious festivities.Sweets47
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Fofas do Faial
Faial’s signature pastry: light, elongated choux-like cakes traditionally filled with a sweet aromatic cream.Sweets56
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Donas Amélias
Spiced Terceira cakes named in honour of Queen Amélia after the royal visit of 1901.Sweets57
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Massa Sovada
A soft, enriched Azorean sweet bread served at religious festivities and alongside Terceira Alcatra.Sweets58
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Cornucópias
Crisp horn-shaped pastries filled with a smooth, sweet egg cream.Sweets59
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Alfenim
Moulded sugar figures deeply connected to Azorean religious festivities and Terceira tradition.Sweets60
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Arroz-doce
Creamy rice pudding traditionally served at festivities, though not exclusive to Terceira.Sweets61
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Filhós
Festive fried dough found on Terceira and in many other Portuguese regions.Sweets62
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Papos de Anjo da Terceira
A traditional Terceira Island sweet made with eggs and sugar, with a delicate texture and rich syrup.In the glass
The local drink that completes the experience.
Drinks12
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Chá da Gorreana
Tea grown and produced at the historic Gorreana plantation on São Miguel Island, known for its black and green varieties.Drinks13
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Licor de Maracujá
A passion-fruit liqueur strongly associated with the Azores.Drinks14
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Licor de Ananás
A regional drink connected to pineapple cultivation on São Miguel.Drinks17
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Vinho do Pico
A distinctive Azorean wine produced on Pico Island, where vines grow in volcanic soils protected by traditional black-stone walls.Drinks25
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Vinho de Cheiro de São Jorge
A traditional aromatic wine from São Jorge Island, historically produced from American grape varieties.Drinks36
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Vinho de Santa Maria
Island wine produced in Santa Maria’s distinctive vineyards, particularly around São Lourenço.Drinks43
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Vinho de Cheiro
A traditional aromatic wine from São Jorge Island, historically produced from American grape varieties.Drinks48
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Vinho do Faial
Small-production island wines shaped by volcanic soils and Faial’s Atlantic climate.Drinks63
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Vinho Verdelho dos Biscoitos
A distinctive wine from Biscoitos on Terceira Island, traditionally produced from Verdelho grapes grown in volcanic soils.Drinks64
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Cerveja Brianda
A craft beer from Terceira Island, produced locally in the Azores.Drinks65
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Licor de Nêveda
A traditional aromatic liqueur made by infusing pennyroyal-like wild mint known locally as nêveda in alcohol with sugar.ACROSS THE ISLANDS
Islands to discover
The islands of the Azores
Each island has its own landscapes, stories and flavours.
Pico
Black-basalt vineyards, Atlantic cooking and Portugal’s highest mountain give Pico a table shaped by volcanic land and sea.
Flores
Waterfalls, green valleys and an Atlantic pantry define Flores, where hearty rural cooking meets fresh fish, local cheese and the island’s abundant watercress and taro.
São Jorge
Between high cliffs and fertile fajãs, São Jorge brings together its celebrated cheese, Atlantic seafood and festive island baking.
Corvo
Portugal’s smallest island has a simple and deeply local cuisine shaped by cattle farming, the Atlantic and generations of isolated island life.
Santa Maria
Known as the Sunshine Island, Santa Maria combines fertile land, Atlantic fish and distinctive traditional recipes, including dishes found nowhere else in the Azores.
Graciosa
Known as the White Island, Graciosa has a rural cuisine shaped by fertile volcanic soils, livestock, vineyards and the Atlantic, with its famous queijadas standing out among the island’s specialties.
Faial
Known as the Blue Island, Faial combines a strong maritime identity with Azorean rural traditions, bringing fresh Atlantic fish, seafood, meat dishes and traditional sweets to the table.
Terceira
A volcanic island where slow cooking, earthenware pots and generous seasoning shape one of the Azores’ most distinctive tables.
BEYOND THE TABLE
Living traditions
Festivals & traditions
Celebrations, pilgrimages and historical gatherings that reveal another side of local identity.
Ponta Delgada · major religious celebration
Festivities of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres
When: June to September
Ribeira Grande · traditional Saint Peter parade
Cavalhadas de São Pedro
When: 28 and 29 June
São Miguel · celebrations across the island
Holy Spirit Festivities
When: May to September
Madalena and São Roque do Pico · living wine landscape
Pico Island Vineyard Culture
When: throughout the year
Lajes do Pico · late August
Semana dos Baleeiros
When: late August
Parishes across Flores · Pentecost season
Holy Spirit Festivities
When: May to September
Fajãzinha · late August
Feast of Our Lady of Remedies
When: late August
Velas · first week of July
Semana Cultural das Velas
When: first week of July
Velas · 23 April
Festas de São Jorge
When: 23 April
Across the island · May to September
Festas do Divino Espírito Santo
When: May to September
Rosais · 15 August
Festa de Nossa Senhora do Rosário
When: 15 August
Calheta · second week of July
Festival de Julho
When: second week of July
Several places on São Jorge
Touradas à Corda at Popular Festivities
When: between May and October
Parishes across the island
Pilgrimages and Parish Patron Festivities
When: June to September
Praia Formosa · August
Maré de Agosto
When: August
Parishes across Santa Maria · Pentecost season
Holy Spirit Festivities
When: May to September
Vila do Porto · island and religious celebration
Feast of Our Lady of the Assumption
When: around 15 August
Praia Formosa · music and cultural festival
Maré de Agosto Festival
When: August
Graciosa · religious celebration
Procession of Our Lady of Guadalupe
When: June to September
Graciosa · celebrations across the island
Holy Spirit Festivities
When: May to September
Santa Cruz da Graciosa · island festivities
Feast of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres
When: June to September
Horta · first week of August
Sea Week
When: August
Parishes across Faial · Pentecost season
Holy Spirit Festivities
When: May to September
Horta · religious and maritime tradition
Nautical Procession of Our Lady of Guia
When: August
Caldeira · popular and religious celebration
São João Baptista Festivities
When: 23 and 24 June
Angra do Heroísmo · Saint John festivities
Sanjoaninas
When: 23 and 24 June
Praia da Vitória · cultural and popular festivities
Praia Festivities
When: August
Terceira · traditional street bull events
Touradas à Corda
When: between May and October
Terceira · celebrations around the impérios
Holy Spirit Festivities
When: May to September
WALK THE LANDSCAPE
Notable routes
Trails worth following
A short selection of established trails. Check the official route conditions before setting out.
7.5km
5.8km
7.3km
9.3km
Caldeira de Santo Cristo · São Jorge
PR1 SJO · Serra do Topo–Fajã dos Cubres
RouteLinear
Official information 10.3km
8.4km
9.7km
6.8km
5.2km
Serra de Santa Bárbara Nature Reserve · Terceira
PRC1 TER · Mistérios Negros
RouteCircular
Official information THE ARCHIPELAGO AT THE TABLE
A archipelago is best understood through its local tables.
Azores brings together places whose ingredients, recipes and traditions reflect the character of Azores.
Azores
Sopa de Funcho
Caldeirada de Peixe à Micaelense
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