Malassada

Malassadais aPortuguesefried pastry from theAzores. It is a type ofdoughnut, made of flattened rounds ofyeasteddough, coated with sugar and cinnamon or accompanied with molasses.
The namemalassadais often used interchangeably withfilhós.However, according to theDireção-Geral de Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural(DGARD),these two regional pastries are distinct―the Azoreanmalassadais made duringCarnaval,while thefilhósofPenedonois made withbrandyand olive oil instead of milk and is enjoyed year-round.Another similar pastry from theCentral RegionisCascoréis da Guarda.
Themalassadais believed to be derived from thefilhósfrom mainland Portugal andMadeira, a product of the growing sugar industry during the sixteenth century.It was exported throughoutMacaronesia, where it was introduced to theAzoresandCanary Islands, reaching as far asBrazilduring the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Malassadaswere first described in theDicionário Houaiss da Língua Portuguesain 1609, and recorded in theledgersof theConvento da EncarnaçãoinLisbonbetween 1688 and 1762.TheGastronomia Tradicional da Madeira e do Porto Santodescribes themal-assada(lit.'badly-baked') referring to the "undercooked" dough inside.However, another version asserts it was previously made usingmel(Portuguese:molasses), having been namedmelassadasormelaçadas.
Historically,malassadaswereconventual sweetsprepared forTerça-feira Gorda(lit.'Fat Tuesday') with the intention of using all the lard and sugar in one's home beforeAsh Wednesday, the start of theLenten Seasonwhich limits the use of fats and sugars as a form offastingandpenance, similar to other traditions likePancake Day.It is a traditional confection eaten in theAzoresandMadeiraduringCarnaval.
In 1878,Portugueselaborers fromMadeiraand theAzoresstarted to immigrate to Hawaii to work on theplantations.They brought with them their traditional foods, including fried doughnuts they calledmalassadas― now commonly spelled asmalasadas.These doughnuts are more closely related to thebola de berlim, a fried doughnut widely served on the beaches in Portugal.In the past, Catholic Portuguese immigrants shared it with friends of other ethnicities in the plantation camps.
Today, there are numerous bakeries in the Hawaiian Islands specializing inmalassadaswhere it is made around the year.Like Portuguesebolas de berlim, these doughnuts are made both with and without cream fillings. In Hawaii, they are sometimes filled with the traditional Portuguesecustardcream, but there are also local cream varieties flavored with coconut, chocolate, lilikoi (passion fruit), guava, mango, ube, or pineapple.In Hawaii,Fat Tuesday(Mardi Gras) is known as "Malasada Day".
In the United States,malassadasare cooked in many Portuguese homes on Fat Tuesday. It is a tradition where the older children take the warm doughnuts and roll them in sugar while the eldest woman – mother or grandmother – cooks them.
On the East Coast, inRhode IslandandSoutheastern Massachusetts, there is a high population of Portuguese-Americans. Festivals in cities such asNew BedfordandFall Riverwill often serve Portuguese cuisine, includingmalassadas.
(2010) Patrick Andrews - "Pioneering the Malasada" Queensland, Australia. 2010