The Sourdough That Came from Afar...
Massa Mãe Julia Caplygina
•Açores
Fate brought them together in Spain, but it was São Miguel that they chose to call home. Julia Caplygina had already fallen in love with the Azores when she met Nuno Alves Simas. Together, they decided to plant roots on the island, bringing with them a project as simple as it is essential: to bake bread with time, respect, and tradition.
From Lithuania, Julia brought the sourdough starter; from Nuno’s family, she learned the Azorean techniques. Thus was born Massa Mãe, the small bakery next to the Mercado da Graça, where natural fermentation gives life to authentic bread, without haste and without guilt.
At Octant Ponta Delgada, you will also find flavours that connect stories, cross cultures, and remind us that the best ingredients are always time, dedication, and shared knowledge.
Júlia Caplygina is from Lithuania and had already fallen in love with the Azores when she met Nuno Alves Simas in Spain. While on holiday with a friend, she discovered the islands and the sense of community that characterizes the Azorean people.
If destiny brought them together in Spain, it was their shared desire to raise their child on São Miguel Island that brought them to Nuno’s hometown.
From Lithuania, Júlia brought sourdough starter, and with Nuno’s family, she learned the traditional techniques of bread-making. The name of the small bakery they opened near Mercado da Graça in Ponta Delgada could only be “Massa Mãe” (Mother Dough).
Massa Mãe focuses on natural fermentation and has contributed to the idea of eating guilt-free bread.