Madeira chestnuts

This family run stand selling roasted chestnuts on Funchal esplanade seems to be a popular fixture with the locals. The chestnuts are roasted in earthenware urns with a wire mesh bottom seated over a charcoal stove. Every minute or so the man would raise the urn and give it a shake to even the roasting. It wasn't just strollers who were buying; every now and then a car would stop and a passenger hop out to buy a bag or two, and then the car would resume its journey.

I had a dozen and very nice they were to eat doing nothing else at all except watch the world go by.