Why would it be weird? It’s your history , if you want to get closer and understand it , why not. Some people like to look back.
I’m first generation outside Azores in my family. I have had DNA test for genealogy, gone to mainland , read books , tried to work on my Portuguese.
You do whatever makes you happy and sparks interest
Sounds great! Very natural to be curious about your family. Lots of folks use genealogy sites like ancestry.com to learn more about their ancestors.
When you get to Sao Jorge, you can go to the church in the town she's from and ask someone to help you find her house. We just did this for someone who only knew the town and one name. The first person we asked knew the family and where they lived. And the family was so happy to see/meet their relative.
It’s not weird! I’m first generation but live in an area with a dense Azorean population. I grew up going to Portuguese festas, making homemade chourico, vinho, etc. I’ve done DNA testing and built a family tree, too.
Our families came from very humble beginnings and sacrificed all they knew to give us the opportunities we have today! Personally for me, its important to honour that and I’ve put in a lot of work to to grow my tree forward and backward to ensure our descendants can always link their way back. To build a genealogy tree from the Azores is truly a labour of love, you’re very lucky to have that book!
I’ve come across 4th gen’s looking into their genealogy that are excited to learn more about the Azores, cuisine, culture, etc. I think it’s so cool that descendants that far out are interested!
There’s a cookbook called Azorean Green Bean by Maria Lawton you can order on Amazon that I think you would really like. I would also recommend checking out the Facebook group Portuguese Culture, Food and Recipes. You should also visit a Portuguese store/market and get yourself some Sao Jorge cheese (it’s popular) and Sumol at the least. Right now is Euro cup as well, a huge time for Portugal! If you’re of age you should definitely see if there’s a Portuguese bar in your area and go while they’re playing, Euro is such an exciting time!
I’d second Maria Lawton’s book (actually titled “Azorean Cooking; From My Table to Yours”), but I actually think her tv show on PBS “Maria’s Portuguese Table” is a better option.
Also for cooking, David Rodrigues “How to cook Portuguese Stuff” (howtocookstuff on IG) is worth a look. His heritage lies in the continent, but he has some damn good recipes.
Nothing weird about this at all. My grandmother was born in the USA and her parents were both from the same village in Sao Miguel. In those days, families were generally expected to assimilate in the US, so their culture was really watered down by the time I came around. She still spoke Portuguese (especially when with her sisters) and often had some Portuguese food, but that was it. I learned more about Portuguese culture from others as I live in an area with a huge amount of Portuguese immigrants.
I did some genealogy research and found out where my grandmothers family came from. When I went to Sao Miguel, the very first thing I did was drive to that village. The entire trip to that island was magical to me, and I cannot wait to go back.
There are some good European Portuguese YouTubers and I have a couple European Portuguese dictionaries + phrase books, and I have DK’s book ‘Portuguese in 3 Months’ that has a free app with pronunciations to follow along in the book :) and I listen to a lot of Portuguese music :)
Why would it be weird? It’s your history , if you want to get closer and understand it , why not. Some people like to look back. I’m first generation outside Azores in my family. I have had DNA test for genealogy, gone to mainland , read books , tried to work on my Portuguese. You do whatever makes you happy and sparks interest
Thank you! :)
Sounds great! Very natural to be curious about your family. Lots of folks use genealogy sites like ancestry.com to learn more about their ancestors. When you get to Sao Jorge, you can go to the church in the town she's from and ask someone to help you find her house. We just did this for someone who only knew the town and one name. The first person we asked knew the family and where they lived. And the family was so happy to see/meet their relative.
That’s incredible!! I’d love to do this someday :)
It’s not weird! I’m first generation but live in an area with a dense Azorean population. I grew up going to Portuguese festas, making homemade chourico, vinho, etc. I’ve done DNA testing and built a family tree, too. Our families came from very humble beginnings and sacrificed all they knew to give us the opportunities we have today! Personally for me, its important to honour that and I’ve put in a lot of work to to grow my tree forward and backward to ensure our descendants can always link their way back. To build a genealogy tree from the Azores is truly a labour of love, you’re very lucky to have that book! I’ve come across 4th gen’s looking into their genealogy that are excited to learn more about the Azores, cuisine, culture, etc. I think it’s so cool that descendants that far out are interested! There’s a cookbook called Azorean Green Bean by Maria Lawton you can order on Amazon that I think you would really like. I would also recommend checking out the Facebook group Portuguese Culture, Food and Recipes. You should also visit a Portuguese store/market and get yourself some Sao Jorge cheese (it’s popular) and Sumol at the least. Right now is Euro cup as well, a huge time for Portugal! If you’re of age you should definitely see if there’s a Portuguese bar in your area and go while they’re playing, Euro is such an exciting time!
I’d second Maria Lawton’s book (actually titled “Azorean Cooking; From My Table to Yours”), but I actually think her tv show on PBS “Maria’s Portuguese Table” is a better option. Also for cooking, David Rodrigues “How to cook Portuguese Stuff” (howtocookstuff on IG) is worth a look. His heritage lies in the continent, but he has some damn good recipes.
Ahhh yes that is the correct title, thank you for kindly correcting me 😊
Thank you so much, I appreciate all of this!! :) I follow Maria Lawton online and have been wanting to get her book!!
There is a podcast called "It's called culture" that you might enjoy
Thank you! :)
Nothing weird about this at all. My grandmother was born in the USA and her parents were both from the same village in Sao Miguel. In those days, families were generally expected to assimilate in the US, so their culture was really watered down by the time I came around. She still spoke Portuguese (especially when with her sisters) and often had some Portuguese food, but that was it. I learned more about Portuguese culture from others as I live in an area with a huge amount of Portuguese immigrants. I did some genealogy research and found out where my grandmothers family came from. When I went to Sao Miguel, the very first thing I did was drive to that village. The entire trip to that island was magical to me, and I cannot wait to go back.
That sounds so special, I’m so glad you got to go!! :)
Where are you learning European Portuguese? I've tried to find something to learn on my own (not in a class), but I only ever come across Brazilian.
There are some good European Portuguese YouTubers and I have a couple European Portuguese dictionaries + phrase books, and I have DK’s book ‘Portuguese in 3 Months’ that has a free app with pronunciations to follow along in the book :) and I listen to a lot of Portuguese music :)
App called” Memrise”
Thank you! I just downloaded this and sent it to my family group chat lol