What is in season in Funchal. and what to order when the market changes.
Spring
- Anona: Madeiran custard apple peaks from February into April and fills the upper floor of the Mercado dos Lavradores.
- Loquat: Nespera ripens on terrace trees through April and May and is sold by the crate at the market.
- Fava beans: Broad beans appear on tasca menus from March, stewed with pork and served with bolo do caco.
Summer
- Tuna: The Madeiran tuna season runs through the summer and bife de atum with fried maize appears on almost every carte.
- Passion fruit: Maracujá comes into its own from June and drives the summer poncha variants across the Zona Velha.
- Madeira bananas: Small, dense and sweet, picked year round but at their best through the summer months on the south coast.
Autumn
- Madeira wine harvest: Grapes come in from late August through September and the wine festival follows the pickers into Funchal.
- Chestnuts: Castanhas from Curral das Freiras arrive in November, roasted on the street and baked into cakes and liqueurs.
- Tamarillo: Tomate inglês ripens into autumn and is eaten fresh or turned into jam by the market stalls.
Winter
- Carne de vinha d'alhos: Pork marinated in wine and garlic is the Christmas dish, eaten in bolo do caco after the dawn masses.
- Bolo de mel de cana: The molasses cake is baked for December and traditionally kept, and broken by hand, right through the year.
- Scabbard fish: Espada is landed year round but is the winter staple, fried with banana and passion fruit sauce.