Fat Tuesday has become affectionately known as Malasada Tuesday here in the islands, and this meant a lot of preparation from the various venues offering this delectable treat.Since malasadas are originally from Portugual, the ladies from the Hawaii Council on Portuguese Heritage gave a history lesson as to how the malasada came about.
When the bread didn't rise people couldn't afford to waste it, so they started to fry it. In Portuguese "mal" means bad and "assada" means dough, so malasadas really is "bad dough." They said a great malasada comes from a combination of the right temperature, the right size, and the right talent.
This bad dough can attract crowds by the car loads and occasionally a five-pound Yorkie named Colby.
Alicia, Colby's owner, said he tries to sneak a couple of bites of malasada when he can.
Outside the Beretania Safeway, about 300 dozen of these highly sought after dough balls were deep fried to a golden brown.
At Damien Memorial School, cars were lined up all around the parking lot, and even stretched out to the street.
Leonard's Bakery on Kapahulu Avenue, sells malasadas everyday. But on this day, it sells more than five times what it normally sells.
Some folks come a long way to celebrate the occasion. Berthel Walters, from Chicago, is vacationing in Hawaii and got a taste of his first malasada today.
