On the island of São Miguel there is one dish that isn’t cooked. It is buried. It’s the Cozido das Furnas, the only recipe in the world whose oven is, literally, a volcano.
The village of Furnas sits on an active crater. The ground breathes. There are fumaroles — holes that vent steam at 110°C — and centuries ago someone thought: if the earth already boils water, why not lamb?
What the Cozido das Furnas actually is
A Portuguese stew of seven meats and five vegetables, sealed in a cast-iron pot, buried in a geothermal hole at the edge of Furnas lake, and cooked for six hours with neither flame nor electricity. Volcanic steam does the entire job. The result: meat that falls apart, vegetables that taste of earth.
The recipe was born of necessity (firewood was scarce) and became the gastronomic signature of the island. Today, restaurants pay the municipality for a designated hole at the lake. Each morning at 5 a.m. the pots go in. By 12:30 p.m. they come out. It’s spectacle and food at once.
Ingredients (serves 4)
The seven classic meats
- 400 g beef shank
- 400 g cured pork belly
- 2 Portuguese chouriços
- 2 black puddings (morcela)
- 1 boneless chicken leg
- 4 smoked pork ribs
- 200 g pig’s ear (optional but traditional)
The vegetables
- 1 cabbage, quartered
- 4 large carrots
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 turnip
- 2 whole garlic cloves
How to cook it at home — without a volcano
You can’t replicate the steam of Furnas lake. But you can replicate its mechanics: a slow, long, lidded cook, with no added liquid, where the meat’s own juices do everything.
- Line the pot. Line a 24 cm cast-iron pot with cabbage leaves. This mimics the burlap insulation used in Furnas.
- Layer in order. Base: potatoes and thick-cut carrots. Above: the toughest meats — shank, ribs. Above: chouriço and morcela. On top: the rest of the cabbage covering everything. Do not add water. The juices from the meat will provide all the liquid. This is the entire trick.
- Seal the lid. If your pot’s lid isn’t a perfect fit, seal with a flour-and-water paste around the edge.
- Bake low, bake slow. Oven at 110°C. Four hours. Don’t open the lid. Don’t peek.
- Rest. Out of the oven, let it sit unopened for 20 minutes. Then unseal.
How to serve it
Lift the meats and vegetables onto a large platter. Slice the meats. Drizzle some of the juice from the bottom of the pot over everything. Eat with crusty bread, a glass of vinho verde tinto, and absolutely no rush.
If you go to Furnas
The cozido is served at four restaurants in the village. The most respected: Tony’s, Terra Nostra and Caldeiras & Vulcões. Lunch service starts at 12:30 sharp — book ahead, especially in August. Cost: €18–25 per person.
Want to see the pots come out of the ground? The unburying happens at the lakeside between 11:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It is free, public and worth the trip.
Original in Spanish: cozido das Furnas. For the rest of the island, read 7 days in São Miguel.
