The kitchen as a field site At Oh! My Cod’s headquarters on Pico, the kitchen was already busy. The space is open, with a counter separating the cooking area from a small dining room, and both sides were in use. Chef Natacha Dias and I were preparing a meal for more than twenty people from…

Landscapes are not only seen. They are walked, cultivated, narrated — and eaten. Anthropologist Arjun Appadurai famously described food as a “highly condensed social fact” (Appadurai, 1981), meaning that food carries within it systems of value, memory, hierarchy, and exchange. Through food, we can read social structures, migration histories, ecological adaptation, and political power. Food…

The introduction of sugar into the Portuguese economy and kitchens, back during the Age of Explorations in the 16th century, revolutionized our confections. But, until that point, our life was plenty sweet thanks to honey. In fact, the same applied to the rest of Europe, where sweetness and fragrance, in desserts or otherwise, was achieved…

In the next few lines, we throw our attention towards the women who are crucial in turning green coffee berries into roasted beans, namely our partners Brava Coffee Roasters, two women who traveled the world following a passion: to learn how to select, roast and grind the best coffee. The roasters of some exceptional coffees…

The early golden age of Pico wine After being introduced in the Azores archipelago in the 15th century, the profusion of new vines extended to several islands, which due to natural reasons excluded the occidental group. From subsistence strategy to exportation The first reports of Azores wine exports date back to the 16th century, when…

The first time I stepped on Pico island, one of the nine islands in the Azores archipelago, I had no idea of what I was about to discover.Contrary to what is common, I didn’t plan this trip myself. I was invited by some dear friends to join them on a 10-day trip…

The Azores are mostly known as a nature and adventure destination but, in recent years, Azorean gastronomy and wines are finally getting international recognition and thus motivating food lovers to put these Portuguese islands in their travel wishlist. Oh! My Cod Pico Experience is a great example of that. The archipelago of the Azores is…

In Portugal, the Easter season brings out a culinary delight in traditional dishes. But Easter in Portugal is part of a wider scene, namely the Spring cycle, in which we can also include the cult of the Holy Spirit (Festas do Espirito Santo), celebrated mainly in the Azores islands. Whatever the region of Portugal or…