Brazilian northern gastronomy highlights indigenous traits
Photos: Sergio Vale/Governo do Acre
Travelling through Brazil and not taking in the variety of local dishes and tastes of the country's different regions definitely makes for an incomplete experience.
In the northern region, for example, strongly influenced by the larger indigenous presence mixed with European immigration, local food has evolved to be quite differentiated from that of other regions.
In Brazil, the mingling of several different peoples over 500 years of history has produced a great mix of traditions, ingredients and dishes introduced by native and immigrant populations alike.
Brazil's northern region consists of the states of Amazonas, Roraima, Amapá, Pará, Tocantins, Rondônia and Acre. It is also influenced by Portuguese and African immigrants who arrived in the country since the beginning of colonisation. However, according to Joseny Juvito, a chef specialized in northern cuisine, the region is predominantly indigenous and, therefore, has specific peculiarities influenced by the fact.
“The food is usually served on wood, clay or stone dishes, always in a rustic style. The decoration of the restaurants is also reminiscent of the land, indigenous peoples and nature.
They usually leave aside the salt and use much more seasonings like pepper, cumin, urucum [a Brazilian typical dye and seasoning powder] and turmeric," she said.
The chef also described other local specialties, such as the combination of seasonings and special preparation of dishes like the tambaqui fish (traditionally roasted inside a banana tree leaf or roof tile), the region-native acai berry, which is consumed without any toppings in the state, and the many dishes made with the famous Banana da Terra, an originally Brazilian plantain.
Typical dishes
Dishes such as Maniçoba, duck in tucupi sauce and tacacá are all must-haves for anyone visiting the region (check them out below). Other staples of local cousine include cupuaçu, cassava, açaí, pirarucu fish, jambu (a local grass species), guaraná, tucunaré fish and Brazil nut (just don't call it that, in Brazil it's castanha do Pará, or Pará nut!).
Maniçoba is a type of Pará version of a feijoada with indigenous influences that uses cassava leaves — locally known as maniva — in place of the traditional beans. Add in a few pieces of paio (pork loin sausage), some pork feet, pork ribs and seasoning, and you have the dish.
Duck on tucupi sauce (a yellow, aromatic and acidic broth extracted from the roots of a local cassava root), one of the main dishes of Amazonian cousine, is another classic of the north. Brazil's native indigenous people, who invented the delicacy, used tucupi for the preparation of wild duck, which they roast in a stone stove.
The famous tacacá, which is also made with tucupi sauce, is made with the addition of tapioca starch extracted from cassava. The dish is served warm and also carries dry shrimp and jambu, a typical local plant that provides a slight numbness in the mouth of those who taste the tacacá.