Provincetown Portuguese Cookbook

In the Beginning

Appetizers, snacks, starters or hors d'oeuvres. People just can't get enough of them. Although I don't remember appetizers being served very often when I was a child, everyone gobbles them up today. At my mother-in-law's house, especially at the holidays, the sideboards and coffee tables groaned with all kinds of delectable hors d'oeuvres, including finger sandwiches. My four sisters-in-law, like their mother before them, consider it bad manners not to offer their guests all manner of irresistible goodies before a big meal.

Designed to whet the appetite, fava beans, or anything pickled like onions or fish, have always been popular in Provincetown. Other foods, including clam fritters, littlenecks or codfish balls are merely smaller versions of regular mealtime fare. Some, like sweet and sour linguiça or linguiça balls, are nothing more than the product of better economic times and vivid imaginations.

Although I rarely make appetizers for my guests, it's hard to buck the trend. Try a few of the appetizers offered here. They're fun, they're campy, and most of all, they're really tasty.