Travel Guides > Typical Food in Madeira Island

Typical Food in Madeira Island

When visiting Madeira and Porto Santo Islands, you will have the possibility of tasting a wide range of regional typical dishes. Throughout the year, Madeira Island has many typical dishes, that is, dishes traditionally eaten in Carnival, Easter, summer holidays, Christmas and New Year. Locals and tourists are very fond of “bolo do caco” and fresh limpets, before start the meal. This is an excellent choice for starters. “Bolo do caco” is a typical wheat flour bread, with garlic butter and parsley. This specialty can be found in many festivals and “arraiais”, bars, and restaurants. If you are a meat lover, you should try the famous “espetada”, beef cubed hung in a bay leaf stick. Other regional specialties are the “carne de vinho e alhos”, “picado”, chicken, and many grilled meat courses. “Carne de vinhos e alhos” is a delicious dish which consists of small pieces of pork that are left to marinate in a mix of sauce. “Picado” is also an excellent choice too. It consists of small pieces of beef fried with garlic in a pan. It is usually served with French fries. However, Madeira and Porto Santo Islands also have excellent fish dishes. These are the well-know “Espada” (black scabbard fish), “Espada com banana frita” (black scabbard fish with fried banana), tuna fish, “bacalhau” (codfish), “gaiado seco” (similar to codfish) and “pota”. “Espada” and “pota” are gastronomic specialties typical of Câmara de Lobos municipality. Codfish is also an amazing regional specialty, which can be found in any restaurant all over the island. It can be prepared in many different ways, depending on your taste. As for dessert, try the various delicious puddings, such as passion fruit pudding, velvet pudding, mango pudding and also fresh fruit.