Malassada Day Documentary Tells the Story of the Making of the Portuguese Treat
Dante Bellini Jr.'s short film highlights a tradition he fears will be lost with the next generation if we don't teach young people the craft.
The “Malassada ladies” of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Fox Point. Photo courtesy of Dante Bellini.
Many Rhode Islanders have been in their feels lately for nostalgia. Change is in the air as we have lost some of our beloved institutions like Benny’s and Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen. Some of our favorite spots for creating childhood memories have been sold to a new owner, including Flo’s Clam Shacks and Olneyville New York System. But that doesn’t mean everything will change. It’s just different. Our neighborhoods are evolving and becoming more gentrified, including Providence’s Fox Point, which was once dominated by Portuguese residents.
Thankfully, there are still many places that are traditionally Portuguese in the neighborhood, including Silver Star Bakery and Central Meat Market. Over in East Providence, there is Taunton Avenue Bakery and O Dinis restaurant. And there is a church in Fox Point that is still beloved by the Portuguese community, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church.
It is here where local filmmaker Dante Bellini Jr. chose to set his latest documentary film, Malassada Day, highlighting the incredible women at the church who continue to craft the sweet fried Portuguese pastry on Sundays to raise money for the church. Bellini is an expert on creating documentaries based on nostalgia, such as his upcoming film on Benny’s, coming out later this year.
Malassada Day.
There will be a formal screening of Malassada Day on Thursday, March 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, which will highlight the rich cultural traditions of Portuguese-American communities through the lens of the malassada.
Guests will not only view the film, but they will also be treated to a panel discussion featuring the award-winning director and filmmaker, Dante Bellini Jr., local food personality Maria Lawton, who is also an author, culinary expert and host of “Maria’s Portuguese Table,” and Michael Benevides, cultural advocate and vice president of Portugalia Marketplace in Fall River. Tickets for the in-person program are $5 for museum members or $10 for the general public, but there is also free registration for the virtual program available via Zoom webinar.
The film has been a long time passion project for Bellini, who fears that many of our important cultural traditions may be lost with the next generation. He became fascinated by the process and community behind making the Portuguese fried dough, called filhós, or more commonly known as the malassadas. He hopes his film will help raise awareness so the tradition can live on for future generations to come.
“The essence of the story? Sometimes, simple fried dough isn’t really fried dough – especially if it’s a malassada. There is in this seemingly simple delicacy, an art, a science and a tradition that’s passed down for generations,” Bellini says. “But will the Portuguese malassada survive moving forward? Or will time and indifference disconnect a younger generation from their sacred ancestral rituals? What we discovered transcends country, region and cuisine. In short, are we losing our hold on who we are and where we came from?”
Celestina Alves, the leader of Malassada Day.
There is one woman behind the making of the malassadas for the semi-annual feasts at Our Lady of the Rosary. Her name is Celestina Alves, dubbed the “Queen of the Malassada” by Pastor Father Joseph Escobar, and she has led a dedicated group of women for decades of malassada-making. Unfortunately, many of the women involved in the process are getting older, becoming sick or have passed away, says Bellini.
Malassada Day raises these questions: “will the next generation step up and be willing to keep this tradition alive? Will the older generation embrace a younger team? Is the future of the authentic Portuguese tradition of making the malassada, truly at risk?”
The short film raises concern, and sounds the alarm for young people. “In under eighteen minutes, Malassada Day tells a universal story about the importance of holding on to our culture and rituals, whatever they may be from wherever we came from, in an ever-changing society,” Bellini says. “What’s clear is we often idealize the nostalgic. This is an unexpected and heartfelt film that will make you think about your grandmother and possibly her grandmother and the traditions we keep and even those we lose.”
Here’s a trailer of the film.
