Famine in Madeira in 1757

In September 1757 there was famine in Madeira because bread had run short. According to a dispatch from the governor Manuel Saldanha da Gama to Tomé Joaquim da Costa Corte Real, in some parts of the island the people lived only on roots, broom flowers and fruit, but the crisis was short-lived, for by the following November the island was already supplied with cereals. It is curious that the people ate broom flowers when they had many plants, such as watercress, sorrel, rabaças, docks and even nettles and sow-thistles, which taste more pleasant than those flowers.

In 1757 potatoes (semilhas, the Madeiran word) had not yet been introduced to Madeira, but the sweet potato was already grown here, though we do not know whether on as large a scale as at present.