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CHAPTER THREE: FOOD AND DRINK
turtles, turtle eggs, lizards, termites, and other insects. Roasting cacao seeds
and using them to flavor water are also common native cooking techniques.
For many Amazonians, cassava, meat, and fish are dietary staples.
The northern part of Brazil is still heavily influenced by native dishes, includ-
ing
caruru do pará
, a meal of dried shrimp, okra, onion, tomato, cilantro, and
dende oil. Cooks use cassava flour, or farinha, in many recipes, including
pirao
,
a gelatin-like food made of fish or meat stock. Cooks also roast farinha on the
stove, scooping heaps of butter to make a dish called
farofa
that they serve
with sautéed onions, raisins, or with a scrambled egg.
FAVORITES FROM THE AMAZON
Two much-loved dishes from the Amazon are made from two of its
staples, fish and cassava.
Fish Balls: Usually made from salted
piraucu
, an Amazon fish, these tidbits
are seasoned with onions, cherry peppers, banana peppers, and cilantro. Chefs
usually serve the fish balls with pepper sauce and lime slices.
Manicoba
: Those living in the Amazon love this tasty dish that uses the leaves
of the cassava plant and bit of a pig’s stomach. The leaves however have to cook
for seven days because they contain cyanic acid, which is poisonous.
Generations of indigenous people, especially in southern Brazil, still rely on
ants as an important part of their diet. The insects are high in protein and are a
Moqueca de Camarao, a Bahian seafood stew made with prawns in coconut
milk and dende oil.