Meu Lindo’s AcarasolPorto de Galinhas The fun started when José, also known as Meu Lindo, was challenged by a customer with seafood allergies to make an acarajé cake without any seafood. The vendor, who enjoys a challenge, then invented the acarasol, using sun-dried meat – and a portal opened for him to create the acaralagosta…
Combú Island Chocolate BELÉM When the renowned chef from Pará, Thiago Castanho, discovered Dona Nena’s chocolate during a fair where she sold her truffles, the life of this riverside woman, born and raised on Ilha do Combu, changed forever. Nena discovered that the rustic chocolate made from the ancestral cocoa grown in her backyard and…
Neide’s ManiçobaBelém Neide is one of the most famous tacacazeiras (vendors of tacacá) in Belém, and she also makes the most desired maniçoba in the city. She learned the recipe from her grandmother Leonice, a pioneer who sold her Amazonian dishes on Nazaré Avenue for over half a century. The recipe for “Paraense feijoada” has…
Lúcia´s Fish with AçaíBelém In one of the oldest markets in the country, Ver-o-Peso, which was inaugurated in 1625 on the shores of Guajará Bay, Lúcia has been serving her fish with açaí for 25 years. This indigenous dish is a tradition in Pará and the Northern region, where açaí is consumed as an accompaniment…
Flávia’s TacacáBelém “In the beginning, she was suspicious, but I told her she would become famous,” says Daniel, Flávia’s husband. The conversation happened almost 30 years ago when he had the idea to take advantage of his wife’s talent in the kitchen and set up a traditional food stall in Belém. It worked. Flávia became…
Ken’s TempuráBelém The recipe for tempurá that is successful on the streets of Belém is originally Japanese. Ken, who has been making and selling this delicacy for almost ten years, is Nissei, meaning he is a second-generation Japanese immigrant. His parents came in search of a better life shortly after World War II. “There are…
Unha de Caranguejo da KellenBelém “Quando eu era pequena, meu sonho era comer unha de caranguejo, mas não tinha condição financeira. Só quem tinha dinheiro é que comia aqui em Belém”, conta Kellen. “Hoje estou vendendo na rua. Nem comer eu quero mais”, brinca. Há quase dez anos, Kellen faz e oferece sua versão do…
Marlene’s Goma CakeMaceió Anyone who visits the village of São Bento in the tourist town of Maragogi quickly discovers that its main attraction is not the beautiful beaches, but the famous goma cakes – which are not really cakes at all, but rather biscuits known as sequilhos that are sold everywhere. For nearly 40 years,…
Rice Couscous by CousinsMaceió Rodolfo’s great-grandmother, Dona Pureza, used to make rice couscous, which has now traveled from the historical and tourist town of Penedo, the oldest city on the banks of the São Francisco River, to Maceió, 160 kilometers away. This delicacy, served with shredded sun-dried meat and coalho cheese, was sold in the…
Delights from Riacho DoceMaceió The story of the sweets from Riacho Doce Beach – its name allegedly derived from there – has not been properly told. However, it is an ancient tradition that combines indigenous techniques of preparation, Portuguese ingredients, and African ways of selling. For more than four generations, women like Dona Cristina and…
