Influences in Brazilian Cuisine and the Food of Brazil

Tue, Nov 20th 2007, 00:00

The cuisine of the north east of Brazil has a distinct African influence.


Large numbers of slaves were settled in the area to work the plantations and Afro-Bahian food has its roots in the slave cooking on the plantations. Since food was scarce, dishes were a combination of the food they found, with improvisations from African, Indian, and traditional Portuguese dishes.


A typical dish is vatapa, a paste made from sundried shrimp, mixed with palm oil, peanuts, cashews and coconut milk. This is served over rice or accompanies Bahia's own version of fastfood, baianas de acaraje.

Acaraje is bread made from mashed beans deep fried in dende oil. Acarajés are usually accompanied with camarao (small sundried shrimp), pimenta (hot pepper sauce), vatapa, caruru (an okra stew), and salada (salad, usually just diced tomatoes).

A variation on the acaraje is the abara, which is boiled in a banana leaf rather than deep fried.

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