LAWAI — The President’s Day holiday did not stop customers from lining up a day early to place their orders for Malasada Tuesday. “I’ll have three dozen, a dozen each packed in a box,” one customer said at the Lawai
LAWAI — The President’s Day holiday did not stop customers from lining up a day early to place their orders for Malasada Tuesday.
“I’ll have three dozen, a dozen each packed in a box,” one customer said at the Lawai Menehune Mart. “We gotta have malasadas for Malasada Tuesday.”
Janet Clarion, manager for the Lawai store, said the staff is already anticipating a rush today for the annual, uniquely Hawaiian lifestyle celebration.
She said she thinks there are three major sources of malasadas on the island — the Lawai Menehune Mart, Kaua‘i Bakery and a vendor in front of Kmart.
The day before Lent is Malasada Tuesday in Hawai‘i, states the Outrigger.com website.
Following the tradition of Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, the day is considered the final chance for pie, chocolate and malasadas, or doughnuts, for those who partake in the Christian tradition of Lent and give up sweets for 40 days, the website states.
Dating back to the plantation days in Hawai‘i, the Portuguese community cleaned out all the butter and sugar from cupboards and made big batches of yeast-based dough yielding golf-ball sized chunks that were deep-fried in oil and dipped in sugar.
The plantations are gone, but the tradition continues as offices and workplaces anticipate finding malasadas in their breakrooms on Malasada Tuesday and debate whether plain or cream-filled are their favorites.
Malasadas, traditionally spelled malassadas, originated on the small island known as Sao Miguel in the Azore Islands, a Portuguese archipelago of nine islands in the Atlantic Ocean, states the “How to Make Malasadas” website.
The island of Sao Miguel was first colonized by the native Portuguese people who are known for their rich desserts, including the sugary malasadas which were referred to as filhos by residents of the other eight islands.
Malasadas are routinely enjoyed year-round, and are most faithfully eaten on what is known as Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday in the United States.
The first commercially made malasadas were produced in 1952 in Hawai‘i at a small place known as Leonard’s Bakery in Kapahulu, O‘ahu. It was opened by the grandson of Portuguese immigrants, Arsenio and Amelia DoRego from San Miguel, who came to Hawai‘i in 1882 to work on a sugar plantation.
Cherry Pie Day
While some Kaua‘i shoppers were waiting for Malasada Tuesday, others were right on time Monday for National Cherry Pie Day, which falls on Feb. 20 each year.
Sharon Lasker, the director of marketing for the Regency at Puakea, said Chef Ryan Theis was readying about a dozen pies for guests “in addition to what Chef is making for the residents.”
During a day-long celebration, people could stop in the retirement and assisted living facility and enjoy a slice of cherry pie and a cup of coffee.
Cherry pie is the favorite of Queen Elizabeth, and also was a favorite of George Washington, with National Cherry Pie Day in the U.S. coinciding with his birthday, according to www.examiner.com.
Competing with today’s celebration of Malasada Tuesday is National Sticky Bun Day, according to the statesymbolsusa.org website.
The website states that Wednesday is National Cook a Sweet Potato Day and National Margarita Day.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
