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Massa sovada is a kind of Portuguese sweet bread that has a very specific and traditional Azorean version, especially during the Holy Spirit festivities and Easter, when it has boiled eggs inside and is called “Folar”:

SPRING STAFF CAMPAIGN PRICES:

Kneaded dough of 600 gr. = €3.50

Folar of 200 gr. with 1 egg = €2.90

Folar of 400 gr. with 2 eggs = €5.80

Biomass of whales captured in the Azores is equivalent to four “Queen Elisabeth” ships

In a study just published in the journal Fisheries Research, it is estimated that the total biomass equivalent to the capture of 23,557 sperm whales by the coastal whaling of the Azores, between 1896 and 1987, is 361,039 tons.

This value is equivalent to four times the weight of the “Queen Elisabeth” liner (90,900 tons), according to a note from the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the Azores.

In the same document, specialists from this department of the Azorean academy refer that the current paradigm of marine resource management implies a better understanding of the complex ecological processes that influence marine ecosystems. Biomass removed by human activities is one of the main indicators used in various types of models, but unfortunately in most cases there are no accurate records of its value, and it is necessary to develop reliable methods to estimate it. More refer that cetaceans are important predators in the marine ecosystem, probably having a key role in the structuring of trophic chains. Intensive hunting of large whales has removed huge amounts of biomass from the oceans, with effects that are still poorly understood on their ecosystems. Additionally, whaling may have contributed to global warming, by releasing large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and by decreasing the effectiveness of some processes of carbon fixation in the oceans.

Coastal whaling since 1896 but no reliable records The coastal whaling of the Azores has been developed since the 1850s, but there are only reliable records of catches from 1896 onwards. Through the reconstruction of the captures and the industrial production of oil, two methods were applied to estimate the biomass removed that produced very similar values. The estimate of 361,039 tons was considered the most reliable for the total period of coastal whaling in the Azores. This figure does not, however, include captures made by ships of other nations in the waters of the Azores, which are unknown, the document reads. Furthermore, it is mentioned that one could think that this exercise is useless, since the last whale captured in the Azores was harpooned in 1987. In fact, the quantification of the extractions of organisms from marine ecosystems in the past is essential for the management of marine resources today. The results of this work were, used in another, quantified the total catches in the Azores between 1950 and This study, says the DOP, is the one published in partnership by MAPCET and the Regional C&T System – Azores. The work was carried out by our colleagues Rui Prieto, Pham and Telmo Morato, together with Cristina Brito, from the Centro de História de Além das Universidades Nova de Lisboa dos Açores.

Notes on lace

1 – Origin

Most of the lace on display is made on the island of Pico (about 60%), Faial (about 30%), and S. Miguel, Graciosa and Terceira (the remaining 10%).

2 – Specifics/highlights

Line nº 22 is the finest, which is no longer available on the local market and is more difficult and time-consuming to work with.

The oldest and most traditional models are the orange blossom, the birch and the rose.

On the island of Pico there were more than 500 women making lace to sell, mainly through a lady from Faial, hence they are often considered to be from this island.

Lace is also used to decorate, for example, sheets, to apply to towels, or doilies.

Currently, only women over 70 years of age are still slowly making some lace.

Santa Maria melons with more vitamin C than the rest

Yesterday, the European Commission attributed to Melon from Santa Maria, the classification of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), the fruit becoming part of a list that already has almost 1,200 regional products.

The melon in question, grown on the Azorean island of Santa Maria, was classified due to its sweet and juicy taste when ripe and the high content of vitamin C, much higher than the average for common melons. The PGI is the official classification or certification regulated by the European Union attributed to gastronomic or agricultural products traditionally produced in a region. For a product to obtain PGI classification, it must be demonstrated that at least part of its production cycle originates in the place that gives it its name and that it has a “reputation” associated with that same region, in such a way that it is possible link some of the product’s characteristics to the soil, climate, animal breeds, plant varieties or the know-how of the people in the area.

“Additional value to the island’s economy”

The deputy of the Socialist Party, Bárbara Chaves, welcomed the classification of Melon from Santa Maria as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which “constitutes an achievement of melon producers on the island of

Santa Maria, from Associação Agrícola e Agro-MarienseCoop”.

“Santa Maria cantaloupe is a unique product, distinguished by the specific characteristics that the soil gives it. From now on, only Mariense producers will be able to produce and sell Meloa de Santa Maria, with clear benefits for the local economy”, highlighted the Mariense deputy. Bárbara Chaves considered that this classification “will allow

that Santa Maria is known throughout the world for producing a PGI fruit, and this classification can be enhanced, not only in terms of increased production but also exploited for tourism purposes”. “The Regional Government from the outset provided the necessary technical and financial support for this process to have a positive result that we know today”, said the socialist deputy. “It is now up to producers and producer associations to unite more and more, to become more cohesive, so that Santa Maria and Melon, now internationally recognized as a PGI, constitute a product with increasing value”, highlighted Bárbara Keys.

Luís Neto Viveiros satisfied

The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Environment welcomed the award by the European Commission of the classification of Protected Geographical Indication to Melon from Santa Maria, which he considered to be “a commercial asset,” and whose ‘seal’ can be used in the next production this year.

“The classification of Melon from Santa Maria as a Protected Geographical Identification (PGI) product, which had already been published in the Official Journal on September 3, 2013, and now recognized by Brussels, is the seventh certification of this nature to be obtained for agri-food products from the Azores”, recalled Luís Neto Viveiros. In addition to the PGI certification for MeMelonloa de Santa Maria and Meat from the Azores, São Jorge Cheese, Pineapple from the Azores/São Miguel, Passion Fruit from São Miguel/Azores, Honey from the Azores and the Pico Cheese, as products with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The Government of the Azores provides technical support so that recognized organizations or associations can apply for their products for certification, which it considers to represent commercial and even cultural added value.

Santa Maria cantaloupe producers “very happy”

The president of the cooperative of agricultural producers in Santa Maria, in the Azores, also told Lusa that the European certification of the melon produced on the island makes him “very happy”, expressing hope that there will be a “positive impact” on the income of producers. Annually, around 150 tons of melons are produced, which are sold in the regional and mainland markets at more than one euro per kilo. With an average weight of eight kilos, Santa Maria cantaloupe is produced outdoors and is usually on the market between July and September.

The Work from padre António Cordeiro, HISTÓRIA INSULANA DAS ILHAS A PORTUGAL SUJEYTAS NO OCIANO OCCIDENTAL, mas published in1717, in Lisboa.

«By including all the islands in his work, a factor that reflects a feeling of “Azoreanness”, and by reflecting on the organization of regional powers and institutions, a factor that reflects a perception of “insularity”, Father António Cordeiro is the first thinker to outline a clear autonomist reflection in an avant-garde work, which only many years later the history of the islands would make, in part, viable.»

(Carlos M. M. do Vale César, President of the GRA, extracted from the preface to this edition)