Madeira Food: 25 Must-Try Dishes, Drinks & Desserts

A bit about Madeiran food

Being an island surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean, you won’t be surprised to learn that Madeira’s cuisine is primarily influenced by its bounty. Unlike mainland Portugal where bacalhau (cod) is eaten more than in any other EU country, the typical fish enjoyed on Madeira is espada (scabbardfish) from the Atlantic.

You only need to escape Funchal to spy banana plantations everywhere. These have also made their way into the cuisine: a common way to eat espada is with fried banana!

But, of course, Madeira is part of Portugal so the cuisine is intertwined. As I’ll discuss in this Madeira food guide, several dishes are the same or similar. For example, Madeira wine is close to port wine (which I loved drinking in the Douro Valley), both fermented with grape liquor for a stronger flavour.

So, let’s get stuck into what to eat in Madeira!

Want to explore with an expert? Take one of the following guided tours:

– Madeira food & culture walking tour

– Madeira food & wine walking tour

– half day wine tour around the island

Best Madeira food – meat dishes

You can’t deny that Portugal has a meat-heavy cuisine that extends to the food on Madeira Island. My vegetarian housemate (pictured below bravely smiling through a sea of meat) ended up eating a lot of cheese omelettes while accompanying us for dinner.

Picado (also called picadinho) is a typical dish from Madeira made from cubes of flavoursome beef, served on a bed of fries with tomatoes and sometimes other toppings.

Aside from the tomatoes, this is a hearty meal without a load of nutritional value but you can’t deny that meat and fries are a delicious combo! It’s a typical, no-frills Madeira dish found in restaurants and snack bars across the island, best shared and served with wooden toothpicks to spear and eat the meat.

Some places on the island will serve a picado with squid or octopus instead.

Cozido (meat stew)

This is a classic Portuguese meat dish also popular in Madeira. Cozido was originally a peasant’s dish using any kind of meat available. Now, the popular meats to use are salted pork and sausages such as chorizo and blood sausage. Expect it served with a side of meat or beans.

Sopa de trigo (wheat soup)

Translating as wheat soup, this is a hearty Madeira dish served for centuries. Ingredients like salted pork, potato, pumpkins and carrots are simmered in a flavoursome broth with buckwheat. It’s a winter dish most commonly made by island locals but you may spot it on restaurants menus as a starter.

Prego

Another meaty Madeira food is the simple prego: a beef steak served between slices of bread. The word prego means nail and allegedly comes from the motion of hammering garlic into meat.

I had plenty of these when living in Porto so I was excited for the Madeira upgrade of a ‘prego especial’ served in warm bolo de caco bread with garlic butter. This is typical snack bar food, sold for a couple of Euros!

Madira food – best seafood dishes

Unsurprisingly for an island, many of the typical Madeira dishes are straight out of the ocean. For seafood fans, here’s what to eat in Madeira…

Delicious limpets are a true delicacy from Madeira, lightly grilled and served with copious amounts of fresh garlic. Since the waters around the island are clean and free from pollution, they’re often caught in the morning and served later that day.

Lapas are best eaten at a beach bar with a few beers, ideally at sunset. They’re the perfect sharing food served with wooden toothpicks to use in place of cutlery.

I promise scabbardfish looks MUCH more appealing when served on a plate!

This alarming-looking fish found in deep waters of up to 1700m in the North Atlantic is Madeira’s answer to mainland Portugal’s beloved bacalhau (cod). Scabbardfish accounts for 50% of all catches making it an important part of the Madeira cuisine, culture and economy.

Despite its striking black scales, espada meat is white and soft with a mild flavour. There are several popular – and slightly unusual ways – to serve it…

Scabbardfish with banana (peixe espada com banana)

Fish with banana, say what?

This fruit and fish combination may sound strange but I can assure you it’s surprisingly tasty. The espada is battered and lightly fried (think British chip-shop style but 5000 times lighter!) and topped with a charred banana.

This traditional Madeira food is best served with potatoes, beans, veggies or rice.

Another way to experience the Madeira cuisine is by trying the other common preparation of espada: with passionfruit.

For this dish, you’ll need to enjoy salty, sweet and sharp together. Since I like contrasting flavours, I enjoyed it although I’ll admit it’s an unusual combo. If you’re not a sweet and savoury person, there are other Madeira foods you’ll prefer.

Espada sandwich

Not feeling these fruity toppings? For a classic Madeira dish, a breaded espada fillet is served inside a crusty bread roll with sauce and salad.

You won’t find this in fine-dining restaurants: it’s a casual dish served from takeaways once locals leave the bars. After a couple of drinks, I’d recommend joining them for the OG fillet of fish burger served in Madeira for decades!

Best Madeira dishes for vegetarians

I’ll be honest: Madeira’s traditional food isn’t the best for veggies. However, there are plenty of tasty side dishes, a few of which combined make up a main meal.

Starting with the best…

Tomato & onion soup with poached eggs

Another simple, tasty Madeira dish is tomato soup. But you can cast any notion of cheap canned soup from your mind: this is a fresh, flavoursome dish made with blended onion and tomato, served with a sprig of parsley and perfectly poached egg.

With a bolo de caco to dip, it’s the ideal lunch.

Fried maize (milho frito)

One of the best experiences of my Madeira trip was visiting the spectacular Nun’s Valley. Named after nuns who fled from pirates and settled in this remote part of the island, there’s beautiful scenery, weather… And food!

Following a surplus of chestnuts one year, the villagers of Curral das Freiras began holding an annual chestnut festival. However, you don’t need to time your trip around this event; the restaurants in the valley serve chestnut dishes around the year.

Roasted chestnuts and rich chestnut soup are both on the menu, best washed down with a shot of the famous chestnut liquor. La Perla Restaurante is an affordable place to eat with a terrace offering spectacular views across the valley.

Madeira drinks

The island has a few typical beverages you can’t miss. Wash down the typical foods from Madeira with one of the following…

The other famous alcoholic drink is sweet Madeira wine. Records show it was being exported just a couple of decades after the island was colonised in the 1400s.

Much like port wine from Porto, the wine was fermented with grape liquor to help it survive its long journey back to mainland Europe. The sweet, strong taste became a favourite with its customers, and it remains so to this day!

The grapes that make Madeira wine are grown on the island, with the unique climate and production process contributing to the distinctive flavour. There are several varieties from sweet to dry (which is still very sweet) boasting different aromas and colours.

Book a wine tour or visit Blandy’s Wine Lodge in Funchal.

Grown in abundance on the island, passionfruit is a staple in Madeiran cuisine. Even the popular soft drink, Brisa Maracujá, is passionfruit-flavoured.

On a summer’s day, this sweet, carbonated drink is just the thing to quench your thirst. After the Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo hike on a hot day in July, I downed one in a matter of seconds!

Created in 1970 by Madeira Beer Company, it’s actually an alcohol-free drink. Passionfruit is the original (and best!) but you can find a couple of other fruit flavours.

Bolo de mel (honey cake)

If you have a sweet tooth, don’t miss bolo de mel AKA honey cake sweetened by sugarcane grown on the island. It’s sweet, sticky and spiced with anise, cloves, orange peel and more.

Although this traditional Madeira food is associated with Christmas, you can eat it year-round because it’s made in bulk during the festive period and keeps well. Locals will tell you it tastes even better with age.

Supermarket offerings are likely to be dry so it’s best to buy bolo de mel from a bakery or, better yet, the store beside Sociedade dos Engenhos da Calheta factory.

Pudim de Maracujá

I rarely like things that are TOO sweet so I was happy to try this delicious pudding with tangy passionfruit. This creamy dessert (like a mousse) made with cream and condensed milk can be eaten by itself or added to a biscuit base like a cheesecake.

Pastel de nata

Queijadas da Madeira

Queijadas are tasty pastries found in bakeries across the island, filled with cottage cheese. Sugar, butter and eggs go into the pastry, while cheese and sugar make up the mixture inside. Like many Portuguese desserts, they were first made in convents almost 1,000 years ago.

Madeira food FAQs

Here’s what to know before you start eating and drinking…

What is the national dish of Madeira?

What time is dinner in Madeira?