We hadn't even checked in to the hotel yet, and I roll down the window upon sighting a street-side food cart billowing charcoal smoke. Is that pork I smell? My belly starts grumbling. Yes, please! I'll have some of that immediately; even if it means negotiating a pond-sized puddle (so much for the cleaning deposit on the rental car).
It's a challenge to find a spot for the car that looks as though we'll avoid being blocked in, and we ford the--er--lake heading toward the smoke and what's sure to be good food. There's not much more than a small assembly of plastic tables & chairs next to an aluminum shanty with a charcoal grill, but it's jam packed and there's a line at the take away counter. It looks even better than it smells. There's something called bolo de cacao, which kindof resembles a giant english muffin that's been cooked on a flat grill that's split in half and spread thick with garlic herb butter like is used for traditional escargots and what looks like chicken and some sort of ribs (pork? beef?).
Upon further investigation we find the covered market selling local tropical flowers, fruit and veg, but there's another surprise--a chimney in the corner for grilling meat on skewers. I found out later that espetada, beef skewers marinated in bay leaves and flavored with smoke from bay leaves that are thrown on the fire, are a local specialty. We turn another a corner and hit the motherload--2 stalls exuding the most enticing meat smells imaginable. We settle on pork ribs, bolo de cacao and some of the local alcoholic cider and dig in. Observing one of the locals beside us, it seems the traditional way of eating is to hold a piece of bread in one hand and meat in the other, and we feel very professional in mimicking his style. Bellies full to bursting, we explore the wonders of the market, which include some lovely old-school embroidery, something Madeira is known for, and then check in to the hotel to sleep off the food coma.
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