Capital Cooking with Lauren DeSantis: Toast to America!

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Toast to America!

On Thursday, June 22nd we all raised a glass of Madeira wine! The President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, and the Portuguese Ambassador, Domingos Fezas Vital, hosted a "Toast to America" reception to celebrate the independence of the U.S. and to commemorate the historical ties between Portugal and the United States.

The "Toast to America" event explained to its guests that the friendship between Portugal and the U.S. has been long-lasting. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson loved Madeira wine. When the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, they raised a glass of Madeira wine. Madeira wine is from Madeira Island, a part of Portugal. This island has exceptionally sharp landscapes with volcanic soil, humid summers, and mild winters which helps to create high quality grapes (and even better wine).

The "Toast to America" event was held at the Official Residence of the Embassy of Portugal in Washington D.C. The beautiful reception started at 6pm with meeting the hosts and trying a glass of Madeira. Once guests started arriving, we all headed down to the courtyard behind the residence that was filled with different foods and selections of wine.

On one side of the tented courtyard they catered traditional Portuguese cuisines (specifically from Madeira), and on the other side they served classic American food. The Portuguese menu included prego sandwiches, codfish croquette cakes, fried polenta, and grilled skewers. The American menu included stadium sliders, hot dogs, and truffle mac n' cheese fritters.

The affair also had many performances--including an appearance from a Founding Father look-a-like and wonderful musical talents throughout the night. After the hosts spoke and the Founding Father performance was over, all the guests were given fantastic desserts and more wine to have our own toast together.