Bolo do caco

Bolo do caco is a round flatbread typical of the Portuguese islands of Madeira and Porto Santo. It is baked on a heated slab called a caco and is one of the emblematic foods of the archipelago.

History

According to a French anthropologist cited in the sources, wheat reached the Azores and Madeira in the second half of the 15th century, as an attempt to offset frequent shortages of cereal. Perhaps because of that scarcity, the dough was stretched with sweet potato.

Several royal decrees banned people from building private ovens and forced them to use public ovens owned by the king, the Church or the aristocracy, which charged for their use. This led to the recipe, which replaced the wood-fired oven with tiles or broken clay roof tiles known as cacos de telha. It quickly became popular across the island, especially among the humble classes.

Culture

It is eaten fresh, while still warm. It is usually served as a starter, spread with garlic and parsley butter, or alongside pork or fish dishes. It is also commonly split in half and filled with meat, ham, fish or octopus. The Azores have a close relative, the bolo levêdo. Today it is often cooked on metal or cement plates heated by gas, which have replaced the traditional stone.