Cuisine of Pico Island for gourmets. Places for dinner - best restaurants

Pico's cuisine consists of a combination of Portuguese culinary traditions and the inventions of island chefs. In local restaurants, in addition to a variety of fish dishes, there is a wide range of meat delicacies. You can visit local restaurants and taste both native local dishes and those which were brought here by Europeans and Americans in the last century. Of course, you can find many catering establishments with the most popular dishes of world cuisine: burgers, sushi or pizza. But be sure to find time and money to taste the island cuisine. Going to the restaurant, remember that local catering establishments are closed around 9-10 PM. The inhabitants of the island prefer to have an early dinner. But you can find tourist-oriented cafes. Remember that it is customary to leave a tip of about 10-15% of the bill.

Do not pass by the local cheese. There is a wide choice of them. You can order a platter or a soft cheese queigo fresco with a special sauce of red paprika pimenta da terra. When choosing any dish, you should consult with the waiter and order appropriate wine for the dish for the perfect harmony of tastes.

Pay your attention to local stewed pork. It is cooked differently here: with the addition of wine, vegetables and spices. But it is delicious in any of the variations. Alcatra is a separate item in the menu of any restaurant. This dish does not have a canonical recipe for cooking, but always represents several types of meat that are baked in a specially designed clay pot. Meat is not only baked and stewed here, but it is also fried in a pan and grill. Stuffed peppers, pork liver in the marinade and blood sausages are extremely delicious on the island. Be sure to try Piri Piri chicken, grilled meat and cheese. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Do not think that the islanders do not like the first dishes. Here you can taste the sour Caldo de Azedo soup with beans, pumpkin and sweet potatoes, several types of fish soups and Sopa de Agrião –a soup made of vegetables. A salad of chickpeas with tuna is also tasty here. By the way, local tuna has red meat. It is obvious that there are a lot of fish dishes on the island. Fried eel, cod, fried squid with bacon, mullet in the marinade, and octopus with wine sauce will please true gourmets. Octopus is extremely popular here. It is cooked with wine, vegetables, and rice. Do not pass by the dishes of patella, which you will not find outside of the archipelago. Mackerel, parrotfish, swordfish, chub and many other sea creatures are perfectly cooked on Pico Island.

There are many delicious desserts on the island. You can try a variety of puddings (especially delicious are made with banana and pineapple), strawberry mousse, ice cream with orange peel and orange roll on Pico. If you are keeping a diet, there are many delicious fruits that can be found in every restaurant. If you do not count calories be sure to try delicious cakes made of flaky pastry with custard, chocolate and cinnamon or local doughnuts.

The most popular soft drinks are tea, which is grown in the neighbouring San Miguel and is not exported outside the Azores, and coffee, which is a high quality product here. In any cafe or restaurant, you can buy fresh-squeezed juices made of orange, pineapple, passion fruit and other fruits. Do not miss the opportunity to taste the wine from the island vineyards, which are recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site. The best varieties are Basalto, Lajido and Terras de Lava. The island also produces Angelica liqueur and Amor liqueur.