This You Eat, Short and Sweet: A Portuguese Care Package

A few of Abe's favorite things: Linguiça sausage, Portuguese sweet bread, olive oil, and bacalhau.

Madeiran Gastronomy

Situated in the northwestern corner of Madeira is Porto Moniz, Abílio "Abe" Sousa's picturesque hometown. As a boy he enjoyed Portuguese meals such as  feijoada with beans, meat, and rice, bowls of caldo verde soup with potatoes, onions, and chouriço sausage, and bacalhau à Gomes de Sá with alternate layers of salted cod and thinly sliced potatoes topped with Mediterranean black olives. Between mealtimes, wine was on the mind as Abe and his family went from the vineyard to grape stomping to market with vinho tinto, rosé, and unfermented grape juice for Madeira wine. When he moved to California in the 1970's, he brought the best of Portugal with him, compiling choice treats from both the local area and across the ocean under one roof at Sousa's Discount Food & Liquor.

Portuguese fruits of the sea.

That's right, a liquor store. What you'll usually take home from such an establishment is a nondescript brown paper bag, and maybe a salty accompaniment for the contents of said sack. Like other marts of this ilk, this shop doesn't prepare any foodstuffs, and Abe doesn't cook much himself. But look beyond the usual glass bottles of amber libations and you will find piles of fresh baked goods from all over the Bay Area, such as Portuguese sweet bread baked at 9 Islands Bakery in Sonoma County, anise scented biscoitos from Portuguese Bakery in Santa Clara, and crusty cornbread from Silva Bakery in Hayward. To stock up on the essentials, there is semi-hard São Jorge cheese from the Azores; fruits of the Atlantic such as sardines, octopus, black scabbard, and of course, cod fish, better known as bacalhau; juicy passion fruit flavored Sumol soda; cured sausages such as spicy pork chouriço, morcela blood pudding, and the mildly spicy linguiça.

Peer closely at this wine label and you can see the homes of owner Abe Sousa and his father in Porto Moniz.

Linguiça Goes with Everything

When it comes to linguiça sausage, Abe is enamored with its versatility. Although he is not on speaking terms with his stove, he praises the hunger remedy that is linguiça for any meal of the day. "You make the bacalhau, this takes too long. This you eat, short and sweet," he says. For breakfast, simply slice the sausage in half and fry it along with eggs, eat with a slice of Portuguese bread, "and you go to work!" Boil a 1:2 mixture of red wine and water, toss in a few links for ~4 minutes, and serve on a bun with your favorite fixings for lunch. A hot plate of beans (just about any will do, says Abe), rice, sauteed onions, and chopped linguiça with a glass of vinho verde is a great way to end the day. Simple? Yes. Simply good? You bet. And while Abe insists that you visit Portugal posthaste, if you're fresh out of sick days and frequent flyer miles you can still get a Portuguese care package close to home.





Store Details
Sousa's Discount Food & Liquor
1584 Washington Boulevard
Fremont, CA 94538

Phone
(510) 659-8366

Hours
Daily, 9:00 am-9:00 pm

Web Address
http://www.sousasliquors.com
http://www.sousasportuguesefoodandliquor.com

Dipping your biscoito in coffee or tea is the best way to enjoy this crunchy cookie ring.

Other Stores Mentioned
9 Islands Bakery
1 Padre Parkway
Suite D
Rohnert, CA 94928
(707) 586-1620

 
Portuguese Bakery
2082 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95050
(408) 984-2234
http://www.portuguesebakery.com


Silva Bakery
18563 Mission Boulevard
Hayward, CA 94541
(510) 278-3322
http://silvabakery.com