It is difficult to establish the exact dates of the discovery and settlement of the island of São Miguel. The first official document known to exist regarding its settlement is the Royal Charter of Afonso V, dated 2nd July 1439, which not only reports that Prince Infante D. Henrique had already ordered cattle to be sent to "the seven islands of the Azores" discovered to date, including São Miguel, but also grants authorisation to settle them. According to the father of Azorean history, Gaspar Fructuoso, in Saudades da Terra, the site of Povoação Velha was the first place of landing, the first place to be explored, and the first place to be settled on this island, under the command of the knight of the Order of Christ and Lord of Almourol, Friar Gonçalo Velho Cabral, who was given command of the eastern islands. Attracted by the gentle terrain and sheltered bays of the south coast, the first inhabitants settled in Vila Franca do Campo, the island's first capital and the second oldest town in the Azores. In 1474, the captaincy of São Miguel was detached from Santa Maria and sold to Rui Gonçalves da Câmara. The first inhabitants came from Estremadura, Alto Alentejo and the Algarve, and were later joined by people from Madeira, Jews, Moors and, possibly, French (a tradition reflected in the name of the parish of Bretanha), attracted by the promise of land and trade opportunities.

The fertility of the soil, as well as its geographical position between Europe, Africa and America, favoured rapid economic expansion, centred on the growing of wheat (which was exported to Portuguese garrisons in North Africa), sugar cane, woad and madder (exported to Flanders), wine and dairy products. Later, sweet potatoes, corn, yams, flax and oranges expanded the island's agricultural production. Victim of attacks by French, English and Algerian corsairs during the late 16th and part of the 17th century, São Miguel was occupied by Spanish troops in 1582.

With the Restoration in 1640, São Miguel regained its position as a commercial centre, developing contacts with Brazil, where there were colonies of emigrants.

Oranges, exported to England, brought great prosperity to São Miguel from the end of the 18th century onwards. A disease wiped out the orange orchards from 1860 onwards, but local initiative soon introduced new crops, tobacco, tea, cattail, chicory, sugar beet and pineapple, which ensured economic survival. Over the years, these were joined by different industries, an increase in fishing and cattle breeding, and tourism.

Over the centuries, the perseverance of the people of São Miguel has allowed them to overcome cataclysms such as storms, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which caused destruction and serious economic crises. Today, São Miguel is one of the political and administrative centres of the Region, and its economy is diversified and growing rapidly.

The delights of São Miguel's cuisine are not confined to traditional recipes or convent pastries. They reflect the connection that the people of São Miguel have with their surroundings and their ability to innovate, resulting in unforgettable gastronomic experiences.

Sopas: sopa de funcho, caldo azedo, fervedouro, caldo verde
They reflect the different agricultural cycles, in which a particular crop used in a broth, more or less thick, with lard, potatoes, garlic and onions or even bread, may or may not contain pork.

Fish soup
It is usually made with fish that does not have many bones, seasoned with salt and spices, to which olive oil, potatoes and other ingredients are added during cooking.

Caldeirada de peixe
Made with conger eel, ray, blackbelly rosefish, red bream or other red fish, caught using sustainable fishing methods typical of fishing areas.

Chicharros fritos com molho vilão
The mackerel is one of the most popular fish among the people of São Miguel. It can be roasted, grilled or fried and served with a sauce called vilão, made with wine, garlic and local pepper, and accompanied by corn bread (broa).

Polvo guisado em vinho de cheiro
One of the unique characteristics of this dish is its seasoning, especially the wine (red) and the presence of ground pepper. It is served with potatoes or white rice.

Arroz de lapas e lapas de molho afonso
They are probably the most popular gastropods among the people of São Miguel, and can be grilled with butter and garlic and cooked with their shells or with sauces, always using spices.

Torresmos de molho de fígado
It was the dish served on Christmas Eve, made with pork ribs and liver. It is unique in that the meat is seasoned with garlic and wine sauce and then slowly cooked in yellow lard.

Capão recheado
Typical of Nordeste region, it is mainly prepared during the Christmas season. Its name comes from the fact that the rooster is castrated, which gives its meat a peculiar taste. The rooster is roasted and stuffed with a filling made from bread, cooked meats and spices.

Cozido, feijoada, bacalhoada e arroz doce nas caldeiras das furnas, corn and chestnuts cooked in fumaroles, also known as thermal water "boilers". Coffee, thermal teas and lemonades made with mineral water. The use of volcanic heat to cook food is a vivid reflection of the idiosyncrasy of the people of Furnas and their relationship with their surroundings. Of all the dishes, the best known is Cozido nas Caldeiras, in which vegetables, meat (beef, pork and chicken) and sausages take seven to eight hours to cook, while Bacalhoada, or Caldeirada de Bacalhau, takes between four and five hours, Feijoada takes six to seven hours and rice pudding takes three hours. We could describe how they are made, but we could never convey the explosion of colours, smells and flavours that we feel when the pot is uncovered, or the sensation of eating something that has been cooked solely by the heat emanating from the Earth's interior. Adding to this "geomenu" are corn and chestnuts cooked in the Caldeira do Esguicho, tea, herbal teas and coffee made with "holy water", ending with the curious green tea, which changes colour to purple when prepared with "Padre José's water" and the delicious lemonade made with "sour water".

Mariscos: cavaco, lapas grelhadas, cracas, caranguejos e lagostas
cavaco, lapas grelhadas, cracas, caranguejos e lagostas - On the island of São Miguel, there is a great diversity and abundance of seafood. It is usually cooked in water, wine or beer, salt, spices and local pepper, accompanied by the pleasures of Bacchus.

Ananás
Known as the king of fruits, it has been harvested in São Miguel since the 19th century, grown in glass greenhouses using traditional growing techniques, which give it a unique flavour. It is classified with the PDO seal.

Queijos frescos ou curados e manteigas
Made from the milk of cows fed on lush green pastures, the cheeses can be fresh (goat or cow) or matured, in a variety of soft, hard or semi-hard textures. There is also a delicious mature cow's cheese that is bathed in geothermal water of volcanic origin.

Licores
São elaborados a partir de receitas caseiras com os melhores frutos da Região. No seu fabrico, contam apenas com a polpa da fruta ou a casca de citrinos, às quais se adiciona água, açúcar e álcool. Os licores mais conhecidos são os de maracujá, ananás e amora, mas existem muitos mais.

Chá
The tea plantations of São Miguel are the only ones in Europe where tea is processed for industrial purposes. Camellia sinensis is used to produce green tea and black tea (Orange Pekoe, Pekoe and Broken Leaf).

Bolo lêvedo
Made in Furnas, it's a sweet cake that's cooked slowly in a clay pot or on a griddle. You can have it with any meal, plain, with butter, jam, or even with a steak.

Queijadas da Vila Franca
The recipe was developed by the nuns of the former Convent of Santo André, located in Vila Franca do Campo. Its main ingredients are milk, eggs, and sugar, which give it a unique texture and a deliciously distinctive flavour.

Queijadas de inhame
Typical of Furnas, they are made with yams grown in the marshy "lameiros" fields, irrigated with either warm, iron-rich water or cold, crystal-clear water from local springs.

Festa do Espírito Santo
These festivities are typical across all the islands, although they diverge in some details from island to island, and even within the same island. Around each island, all parishes have a chapel, called Império, with its respective brotherhood. They are considered the most representative religious festivities of the entire island ethnography. They celebrate the third person of the Holy Trinity, where the spirit of community and sharing reflects the true nature of these celebrations: a celebration of the people and for the people.

Location: The entire island
Dates: From May to September, with special emphasis on the 7th Sunday after Easter
Responsible Entity: Brotherhoods of the Holy Spirit

Festa do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres
It takes place every year, on the island of São Miguel, on the 5th Sunday of Easter, and lasts for three days, during which the image of Senhor Santo Cristo is honoured. It is a tradition that dates back more than 400 years and takes place at the Convent of Esperança, in Ponta Delgada. In addition to the religious events that characterise these festive days, there are also cultural and sports events.

Location: Ponta Delgada, island of São Miguel
Dates: 5th Sunday after Easter
Responsible Entity: Brotherhood of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres

Procissão de S. Miguel Arcanjo
With features dating back to the Middle Ages and the early days of settlement, it is also known for its Labour Procession, as artisans' guilds gather around their patron saints, whose floats are carried on Sunday by representatives of the profession (many of which no longer exist) dressed in robes that identify them.

Location: Vila Franca do Campo
Date: May
Responsible Entity: Church Commission

Procissão do Corpo de Deus
It is one of the most emblematic processions of the people of Furnas, as the Blessed Sacrament is carried by the parish priest to give Holy Communion to the sick (‘people who are bedridden and cannot attend mass during the year’). The inhabitants mobilise and decorate the streets with beautiful flower carpets, in a genuine manifestation of faith in which the human merges with the divine.

Location: Parish of Furnas
Date: 2nd Sunday of Easter

Entidade Responsável: Comissão Fabriqueira da Igreja da Mãe de Deus e Câmara Municipal da Povoação.

Procissão da visita do Senhor aos enfermos
It is one of the most emblematic processions of the people of Furnas, as the Blessed Sacrament is carried by the parish priest to give Holy Communion to the sick (‘people who are bedridden and cannot attend mass during the year’). The inhabitants mobilise and decorate the streets with beautiful flower carpets, in a genuine manifestation of faith in which the human merges with the divine.

Location: Parish of Furnas
Date: 2nd Sunday of Easter
Responsible Entity: Committee Fabriqueira of Nossa Senhora da Alegria

Festa de Nossa Senhora dos Anjos
Location: Village of Água de Pau
Date: 15th August
Responsible Entity: Church Committee

Procissão do Bom Jesus da Pedra
The first procession of Senhor Bom Jesus da Pedra, the most popular image in Vila Franca do Campo, took place 200 years ago and attracts thousands of worshippers.

Location: Vila Franca do Campo
Date: last weekend in August

Cavalhadas de São Pedro
The Cavalhadas de São Pedro (St. Peter's Cavalry) takes place, annually, in Ribeira Grande. A King or Mayoral, Knights, Lancers, Stewards and Buglers, dressed in colourful costumes and riding beautiful horses, parade through the streets on the morning of St. Peter's Day.

Location: Parish of Ribeira Seca, municipality of Ribeira Grande, island of São Miguel
Dates: 29th June
Responsible Entity: Festival Committee

Feira Quinhentista
The "Feira Quinhentista" (a Medieval Fair) is an event where artisans exhibit and sell their goods, and there is also a kind of reenactment of a medieval fair with historical events.

Location: Ribeira Grande, São Miguel Island
Date: July
Responsible Entity: Ribeira Grande Town Hall

Festivais de música
These festivals bring together thousands of people from different generations to watch regional, national and sometimes, international music groups. They usually last three days, some with food and drink such as Festival do Tremor, Walk and Talk, RFM Beach Power, Caloura Blues, Festa do Chicharro, Festas de Nordeste, Festival Monte Verde, Festival da Povoação, Azores Burning Summer and Entre Marés.

Location: All over the island
Date: July to September
Responsible Entity: Associations

Marchas de São jJoão
The festivities in honour of this popular matchmaker saint are celebrated in Vila Franca do Campo. The parishes of the municipality organise marches and choreographed dances, according to the theme they have chosen, accompanied by the music of philharmonic bands, in a colourful festival where joy and happiness reign supreme.

Location: Vila Franca do Campo
Date: St. John's Eve – 24th June
Responsible Entity: Vila Franca do Campo Town Hall

Festa da Flor
An event held in the city of Ribeira Grande, culminating in a parade involving the parishes and institutions of the municipality, which walk under a theme associated with flowers.

Location: Ribeira Grande
Date: May
Responsible Entity: Ribeira Grande Town Hall

As grandes festas do Espírito Santo de Ponta Delgada

Location: City of Ponta Delgada.
Date: First weekend of July
Responsible Entity: Ponta Delgada Town Hall and brotherhoods of Espírito Santo da Ouvidoria de Ponta Delgada.

Festival de Blues do Faial da Terra
Localização: Faial da Terra / Povoação
Date: First weekend of August
Responsible Entity: Faial da Terra Parish Council

Grande Festival de Folclore da Relva
Location: Relva / Ponta Delgada
Date: First weekend of August
Responsible Entity: Relva Parish Council and Grupo Folclórico of Cantares e Balhados of Relva

Festival de Música no Colégio
Location: Largo do Colégio / Ponta Delgada
Date: July
Responsible Entity: Grupo Coral de S. José

Eventos desportivos
Paragliding Festival organised by Clube Asas de São Miguel and takes place in August.

Eventos associados ao trail run, como o Trail Run Nordeste Real Priolo – A race organised by the Nordeste Town Hall, the CDC Juventude of São Miguel, the Nordeste Sports and Recreation Centre, and the São Miguel Athletics Association. It takes place in April.