to kill the worm

They have some peculiar dishes, such as the "bolo de mel", a ginger cake eaten at Christmas, and the famous "carne de vinho e alhos" (meat of wine and garlic). The latter is made by marinating pork in vinegar with garlic and the herb called "oragão" (origanum, or wild marjoram); it is eaten broiled, and even Englishmen learn to appreciate a dish which is said to "conversar". The stewed fowl with rice is also national. As everywhere in Portugal, "bacalhao", or dried cod-fish, cooked with garlic or onions, is deservedly a favourite: it contains more nourishment than beef. There is superior originality amongst the "doces" (sweetmeats) for which Madeira was once world-famous; and in the "queques" (cakes), such as lagrimas-cakes, cocoanut-cakes, and "rabanadas", the Moorish 'rabanat,' slabs of wheat bread soaked in milk, fried in olive oil, and spread with honey. The drink is water, or, at best, "agua-pé", the last straining of the grape. Many peasants, who use no stimulant during the day, will drink on first rising a dram "para espantar o Diabo" (to frighten the Devil), as do the Congoese "paramatar o bicho" (to kill the worm).

[To the Gold Coast for Gold - A Personal Narrative in Two Volumes. (Vol. I) - Richard F. Burton (1821 - 1890)]