Region or state Madeira, Azores Place of origin Portugal | Type Fried dough | |
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Variations Bola de Berlim (Berlin Ball) Region Archipelago of the Azores, Madeira Main ingredients Dry yeast, Milk, Unsalted butter, Sugar, Salt, Flour, Eggs, Oil for frying Similar Haupia, Sugar, Loco moco, Poi, Dough | ||
A malasada (or malassada, from Portuguese "mal-assada" = "under-cooked") (similar to filhós) is a Portuguese confection, made of egg-sized balls of yeast dough that are deep-fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar. They were first made by inhabitants of the Madeira islands. Traditional malasadas contain neither holes nor fillings, but some varieties of malasadas are filled with flavored cream or other fillings. Malasadas are eaten especially on Mardi Gras - the day before Ash Wednesday.
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In Madeira, malasadas are eaten mainly on Terça-feira Gorda (“Fat Tuesday” in English; Mardi Gras in French) which is also the last day of the Carnival of Madeira. The reason for making malasadas was to use up all the lard and sugar in the house, in preparation for Lent (much in the same way the tradition of Pancake Day in the United Kingdom originated on Shrove Tuesday), malasadas are sold alongside the Carnival of Madeira today. This tradition was taken to Hawaii, where Shrove Tuesday is known as Malasada Day, which dates back to the days of the sugarcane plantations of the 19th century, the resident Catholic Portuguese (mostly from Madeira and the Azores) workers used up butter and sugar prior to Lent by making large batches of malasadas.
How to make malasadas
United States
In 1878, Portuguese laborers from Madeira and the Azores came to Hawaii to work in the plantations. These immigrants brought their traditional foods with them, including a fried dough pastry called the "malasada." Today there are numerous bakeries in the Hawaiian islands specializing in malasadas.
On the East Coast, in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, there is also a high population of Portuguese-Americans. Festivals in towns such as New Bedford and Fall River will often serve Portuguese cuisine, including Malasadas.
Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday"), the day before Lent, is Malasada day in Hawaii. Being predominantly Catholic, Portuguese immigrants would need to use up all their butter and sugar prior to Lent. They did so by making large batches of malasadas, which they would subsequently share with friends from all the other ethnic groups in the plantation camps.
In the United States, malasadas are cooked in many Portuguese or Portuguese descendant homes on Fat Tuesday. It is a tradition where the older children take the warm doughnuts and roll them in the sugar while the eldest woman — mother or grandmother — cooks them. Many people prefer to eat them hot. They can be reheated in the microwave, but then they will have absorbed the sugar, providing a slightly different flavor and texture. However, they can also be frozen without the sugar.
In popular culture
Malasadas are frequently talked about items in the 2016 video games Pokémon Sun and Moon, whose setting, Alola, is based on Hawaii.