My first bite of a malasada was on a lanai with a mountain view on the island of Kauai.
The little doughnuts were part of a spread of local foods served during "orientation" at the resort where I was vacationing.
As I nibbled on the sugar-crusted fried dough I pondered the name — malasada didn't sound Hawaiian. As I turned the word over in my mind, vague bits of Spanish surfaced. I recalled "mal" means bad or evil and "asada" means roasted. But "evil roast" didn't make any sense for these delectable fried doughnuts.
After the presentation, I asked our host about the name.
It turned out malasadas were brought to Hawaii by Portuguese sugar plantation workers. And the name, sometimes spelled with a double s in Portuguese, means poorly cooked.
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