Lunch from a volcano

 April 29

Today was the first of two days spent on São Miguel, the largest island of the Azores in both land area and population. As with the other islands, it is volcanic and the southern side is the more densely populated than the north. However, most of the volcanos on São Miguel have not erupted in millennia, entitling it to be called the Green Island. Very quickly after leaving downtown Ponto Delgado, the landscape becomes agricultural and then forested. 

Having searched fruitlessly for many days for cetaceans  (we did get a fleeting glimpse of some dolphins yesterday), we were pleased that a large pod of dolphins chose to bow-ride to welcome us into port this morning. 

Although there have been no major eruptions in milllenia ( the most recent limited one was in 1630), the central caldera still has active mud pots and fumaroles. We walked around the edge of a lake at the bottom of the caldera, and had lunch in a local restaurant in the town of Furnas (also the name of the volcano). The town is within the caldera and has its own fumaroles, hot springs and carbonated water sources. Some members of our party tasted these waters, we declined as the smell of sulfur dioxide was so strong in the air already.

But about lunch: we ate Cozida das Furnas, a meat and vegetable stew that is slow cooked for 5-6 hours in covered pots inserted into concrete-lined holes within the fumarole.  Earth is piled over the top of the pot and a flag marking whose pot is in which hole is added. When the time comes, two men with shovels uncover the pot and then reach down with long-shanked hooks to grab the handles of the pot and haul it out.  The cooking liquid is served as a first course soup, followed by the meats (today chicken, pork, several kinds of sausage and ham) and vegetables (carrots, cabbage, greens and potatoes). It was simple but delicious. We ate local pineapple for dessert. 

Other highlights of the day were a stop at a local bakery where we could watch them prepare their famous cream cheese tarts, a visit to a local tea plantation, and some lovely miradors (overlooks). The tea plantation is one of two remaining on the island. This one has been in continuous operation since 1883. At the height of the tea industry there were 17 factories. Improvements in international transportation and disruptions from the two world wars caused many others to close in the early 20th century.  At our final mirador on the north coast we again saw a large pod of dolphins, a lovely bookend to the day. 

Pictured: morning (Common) Dolphin greeters, lunch emerging from the fumarole, caldera including the town of Furnas