Editor’s Note:

One of the most exotic friends I met (AND KEPT) for years was an accomplished Portuguese Flamenco Dancer, wife and mother of young children, and a full-time nurse. She was with me for two days while my son was born. She held my hand and told me about the amazing 9 mystical islands – “the gem of the Atlantic” – far out between Portugal and America. These islands do rival Hawaii. Soaked in natural beauty so profound, and being so far from any mainland, the spirituality of both archipelagos really can bowl you over.

Speaking of bowls, there is a wholesome and natural sort of country way of serving food in the Azores, which I finally experienced 20 years later. Most notorious is their amazing Cozida: rustic ingredients from the land and sea are sealed in a special pot and cooked in the ground – where steaming hot geysers (caldeiras) and spa-like hot pools are enjoyed by people from near and far – some pools for toes, some for dinner. The active Caldera Volcano aptly calls for the dish named “Volcano Soup.”

The earth’s crust is so thin here, that some of the springs are too hot for humans. Other pools are designated for dunking and cooking their popular version of “street corn,” aka “Volcano Corn.” The locals are very proud to see and be seen sucking on the sweet, succulent cobs among other folks enjoying the same. Seafood is definitely one shared claim to fame for mainland Portugal and Azores: where octopus, eel, and exotic shellfish abound. FMI: Visit Azores • Visit Portugal