Mmmm…As I park my car and walk down the path to the Kona Historical Society’s outdoor forno (Portuguese oven), the irresistible aroma of Portuguese sweet bread wafts over me. From the top of the hill, I observe the volunteers sharing laughter and their love of the bread-making process with joyful visitors.

 
Volunteers and staff share laughter as everyone rolls the bread dough

Portuguese immigrants from the Azores and Madeira first arrived in Hawai`i in the 1870s, making an important impact on the development of the Kona District on Hawai`i’s Big Island. They developed the dairy industry, a key phase of the ranching industry of Hawai`i, and introduced butter and milk to the Islands. Besides their traditional dairy skills, the Portuguese also brought their love of freshly baked bread – their staple starch.
 
  Fornos, outdoor wood-burning stone ovens, were found in every Portuguese community throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Most fornos were communal and used by the entire community, while others belonged to individual families. Breads made by the Portuguese community were sold, bartered or shared among other ethnic groups in Hawai`i.
 
  Every Thursday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., visitors are invited to the Kona Historical Society’s Living History Program in Captain Cook www.konahistorical.org to watch the intricate baking process and learn about this delicious detail of Kona’s history. This weekly cultural event is one of Hawai`i’s “hidden treasures,” and many locals are discovering it for the first time, too.

Baker Gina Wiseman removes the sweet bread from the forno

It takes a lot of dedication and effort to produce the tempting bread. First, the forno, fueled with kiawe wood, is lit by a Kona paniolo (cowboy) at 5:30 a.m. It takes several hours for the wood to burn to ash, then it takes time for the oven temperature to smolder down, until it reaches about 450 degrees. Baker Gina Wiseman determines the correct temperature by sticking her arm into the oven. Meanwhile, volunteers start rolling the dough and placing the loaves in tin pans. They make both sweet and unsweetened varieties. When the oven is ready, the first batch of bread is placed in the forno. The weather can affect how the dough rises and the stones heat, so baking in the old style can be quite a challenge, but the Kona Historical Society is committed to keeping their tasty tradition alive.

When the bread comes out of the forno, the loaves are piping hot, with golden crusts and steaming white interiors. It’s so ono, there is no need for butter or jams – it’s perfect the way it is. Staff member Noni Kuhns, a Portuguese descendant, breaks the bread for everyone to partake. (If you want to bring some home, the Society sells it for $5 a loaf, but samples are free.) Visitors, locals and volunteers bring food to complement these delicious breads. On this day, I met people from Alaska, Australia, Portugal, California, Seattle and different parts of Hawai`i.

Maria Rusnak share her warm hospitality, Noni Kuhns by her side.

A beautiful individual I met this day is Portuguese descendant Maria Rusnak. Maria said as a child growing up in Portugal, she dreamt about living in an exotic, tropical place with compelling people. She and her husband found paradise in Opihihale, a community south of Captain Cook, 15 years ago. Maria saw the similarity in the Portuguese culture and the Hawaiian way of living.

“The Hawaiians are simple and joyful people. They love to party and share their food and music with us all,” Maria said.

Today, Maria shares her culture and aloha spirit with many people she meets. I was delighted when Maria spontaneously invited me to their enchanting home. “Bring a car full of people when you come over,” she shouted. So I did! The Portuguese wines kept pouring and the table was filled with tasty Portuguese dishes, like cataplana, a seasoned Portuguese seafood rice stew, and chilled gazpacho soups. After five hours, we left with our opu (tummies) pleasantly full and our hearts filled with aloha.

All photos are courtesy of Olelo pa'a.