Desserts from Bahia
"In a general panorama, a culinary process is being shaped where the order is Portuguese, the ingredient is indigenous and the labor is African", book Comida no Cotidiano
Egg And Coconut Pudding ingredients (2018) by Bel MoherdauiInstituto Brasil a Gosto
Being Bahia the territory with the largest...
...black population outside Africa, it is natural that many of its recipes have African influence. This is quite evident with savory dishes. In the sweets, we saw local ingredients being worked by techniques brought from Portugal by African slaves.
"In a general panorama, a culinary process is being shaped where the order is Portuguese, the ingredient is indigenous and the labor is African. Which does not mean that the only African contribution came from the labor, nor that the only indigenous legacy is botanical", points out the chef and researcher Max Jaques in the book Comida no Cotidiano, by Instituto Brasil a Gosto.
Egg And Coconut Pudding ingredients (2018) by Bel MoherdauiInstituto Brasil a Gosto
"No tabuleiro da baiana tem...", would sing João Gilberto
The dishes that emerged from this combination often ended up on the trays (or "tabuleiro") of the so-called 'ganhadeiras' – enslaved or freed black women who occupied the streets of colonial cities selling their delicacies.
1.Porridge
“The sale of porridge, the breakfast of many people in Bahia, was available in quantity and variety on the stalls of the 'quituteiras', specialists in this food. Even today, porridges are a habit not only in Bahia but in the Northeast, as a strong food to start the day", RaulLody
2.Ambrosia
The biggest secret for a good ambrosia (word that comes from the Greek mythology and refers to a delicious food that would give miracle powers to the gods) is the texture: it must have perfectly regular little curds.
3. Lelê (Corn cake)
Also known as muxá, this pastry is made with quirera, cracked corn, also called canjiquinha in some places. It is ubiquitous in Bahia and Espírito Santo, during June Festivities.
4. Hominy Pudding
It is made with the white dried corn (hominy, or canjica in Portuguese)
5. Cashew Fruit Compote
The Portuguese technique of preserving fruits in sugar is applied in abundance to fruits found in Brazil, with cashew fruit compote being one of its results.
Cashew
From the Amazon, where it is believed to have emerged, the cashew tree spread across the world. “As the Portuguese become familiar with the Brazilian flora, they try to acclimatize the root or fruit to a distant place where the King was also served", says Camara Cascudo
6. Rice Pudding
Roz bil halib is the name of a recipe similar to Brazilian rice pudding found in Morocco, says Raul Lody.
7. Student’s Doughnut
"By establishing links between the candomblé terreiros and the city, the baianas de acarajé make public sacred menus, usually developed in the terreiros by the iabassês, who are knowledgeable about ingredients and ritualized ways of preparing food for the saints..." (cont)
Combine tapioca, sugar, and salt; hydrate with coconut milk
Thus "(...) symbolic heritages in the form of acarajé, abará, acaçá, student doughnut, cocadas, cakes are transferred to the trays.…” , states Iphan's dossier on the craft of the baiana
8. Coconut Candy
Iphan's dossier: “The baiana tray concentrates and reproduces collective cultural practices, among them, the techniques of making food such as abará, student doughnut, black and white cocada, fried bovine spleen, pé-de-moleque, tamarind candy, corn cake, queijada and acarajé"
Baked coconut candy (2018) by Ana Luiza TrajanoInstituto Brasil a Gosto
How about preparing a baked coconut candy?
Learn a delicious recipe with chef Ana Luiza Trajano
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