MAIN INGREDIENTS
A classic dish of the Brazilian Bahia region, bobó de camarão is a stew made with puréed cassava (bobó), fresh shrimps, coconut milk, and dendê palm oil. The word bobó comes from the Ewe people who were brought to Brazil as slaves, denoting a dish made with beans, although there are no beans in bobó de camarão as we know it today, due to the fact that the Afro-Brazilians enthusiastically took to cassava when they were first introduced to it.
The dish is traditionally accompanied by rice on the side, and is a staple of most traditional Brazilian eateries and Bahian self-service restaurants.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Moqueca Baiana is a seafood stew originating from the Brazilian state of Bahia, hence the word Baiana in its name. It consists of white fish, shrimps, or other seafood combined with coconut milk, dendê oil, lime juice, and various vegetables such as red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, spring onions, garlic, onions, and sometimes ginger.
When done, the dish is typically garnished with chopped coriander, then served with rice and farofa. This seafood stew was originally prepared by the native people of Brazil. Over time, new elements were added to the stew, such as coconut milk, which was first introduced to Brazil by Portuguese colonists, and palm oil, which was brought over to the country by African slaves.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Moqueca
MOST ICONIC Moqueca Baiana
View moreRich, substantial, and tropically flavored - vatapá is one of the most famous Brazilian dishes, a main course consisting of a combination of stale bread, fish (usually cod), shrimp, coconut milk, manioc flour, dendê palm oil, and cashews.
The dish is often consumed with white rice, or as a filling for acarajé fritters, another popular Brazilian dish. Bright yellow in color, vatapá is a specialty of Bahia, a state on the country's northeastern coast that is heavily influenced by the West Africans who were brought to the country as slaves.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
In Bahia, the northeastern state of Brazil, there is a dish that is considered to be the most popular street food around, called acarajé. It consists of black-eyed peas or cowpeas that are formed into a ball, deep-fried in dendé palm oil, split in half, then stuffed with flavorful, spicy pastes made from numerous ingredients such as cashews, palm oil, and shrimp.
The most common accompaniments to the dish include a tomato salad and homemade hot pepper sauces. The recipe for the dish originated during the colonial period of the country, from the Nigerian slaves who first started selling it on the streets of Brazil.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
A specialty dish from the Brazilian regions of Pará and Bahia, maniçoba is a part of the feijoada family of Brazilian dishes. In addition to dried meat, salted pork, bacon, and sausages, chopped cassava leaves are used instead of beans which are commonly used in a traditional feijoada.
One must be extra careful when preparing the dish due to the toxic cyanides found in cassava leaves, which is why they need to be ground and boiled for at least one week in order to remove the toxins. Since it is a lengthy process, maniçoba is mostly prepared for festivities and religious celebrations, when it's consumed by large groups of people.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Feijoada à portuguesa
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Abará is a popular Brazilian snack consisting of black-eyed peas or beans that are mashed into a paste, then steamed in a banana leaf. The dish is very similar to another Brazilian snack, acarajé, which is fried instead of being boiled or steamed.
Black-eyed peas are a staple of traditional Brazilian cuisine, especially in the Bahia region, the center of Brazil's Afro-Brazilian culture. Abará is closely associated with Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion where it is one of the ritual foods offered to the gods and goddesses (called the Orixás) during the ceremonial festivities.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Quindim is a traditional coconut custard cake made with sugar, egg yolks, and ground coconut. The most popular theory about the origin of the dish suggests that it was invented in the 17th century in the northeast of Brazil by African slaves. However, the excessive usage of egg yolks indicates possible Portuguese roots of the dish, since Portuguese cuisine traditionally uses large amounts of egg yolks.
The name quindim stems from the Bantu language, roughly translated to the unusual phrase "the gestures of adolescent girls". Today, quindim is one of the most popular desserts in Brazil, often consumed at birthdays, weddings, and christenings.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Caruru is a Brazilian dish consisting of okra, dried shrimps, onions, and toasted nuts cooked in dendê palm oil. In the Bahia region, caruru is traditionally consumed as a condiment alongside acarajé, a type of street food consisting of fried black-eyed peas.
Although the dish has African origins, it is considered to be a Brazilian dish which was exported out of Africa by the slaves who worked on sugar plantations in Brazil. Caruru is a staple of Afro-Brazilian religious ceremonies, where it's known under the name amalá, and it is a favorite of Xango, the Yoruba African god of fire.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Acaçá is a traditional Afro-Brazilian dish that's the most important ritual food of the Candomblé religion. This thick mush-like dish is made from ground or grated white corn that's soaked, pounded, then wrapped and shaped in banana leaves.
The Candomblé religion originated in Bahia, and that's where you can find this specialty. The flavor of acaçá is somewhat bland and neutral because it only contains white corn and salt. It's usually served with dishes that contain some kind of sauce in order for acaçá to absorb its flavors.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.