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Among most incredible experiences that every traveler should experience, there is certainly that of cooking your own dinner inside a volcano. We are in the Azores and it is right here that the Furnas stew, an iconic dish of the Portuguese archipelago, has a bizarre cooking which, however, we are sure you will like.
It is appropriate to say that, in this area of ââPortugal, the regional cuisine it is profoundly connected to nature and in particular to the geological activity of the territory.
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In the Portuguese Azores, exactly a Sao Miguel, the largest island of the archipelago, there is the small town of Furnas which has just 1500 inhabitants.
This area, known above all for its volcanic activity, has a rather interesting geological characteristic: in fact, some volcanoes are not pointed and their shape is more reminiscent of a valley.
The inhabitants of Furnas have learned to know and respect this territory but also to exploit it. In fact, the city is a important spa centre thanks to the presence of waters rich in minerals and geothermal.
Then there is a gastronomic custom in this unusual and bizarre city, but which everyone really likes, including travelers and residents: that which concerns the cooking dishes inside volcanoes.
Tradition has it that the cooked, an iconic dish of the area, is prepared right inside the volcano. The large pot containing all the ingredients for preparing the meal is placed inside sulphurous shower heads.
This meat and vegetable stew, whose ingredients are blended inside a cast iron pan, it is cooked naturally thanks to the heat of the volcanic subsoil.
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The pot is lowered into a hole, inside a kitchen area, then covered with earth and left in there for at least six hours. This procedure makes the flavor of the cozido is truly unique, that's why everyone loves it.
On this site, just outside the town of Furnas, everyone can prepare this traditional dish, they are in fact present several holes intended for cooking cozido made available to both restaurants and locals.
That of exploiting the underground heat for cooking it is a rather ancient tradition and the credit for inheriting it goes to the restaurants in the area who have worked hard to guarantee residents and travelers the best cozido in the world.
Curious to try it?
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