Bahia

Cornstarch cookies

Coconut and tapioca fritters

Pavê is a Brazilian dessert that consists of alternating layers of biscuits (ladyfingers or corn starch biscuits) and a cream made using condensed milk. It is similar in structure to the tiramisu. Generally, recipes involve heating condensed milk and milk, and stirring the mixture until it thickens. Then, layers of milk-soaked biscuits are placed into a container alternating with layers of the creamy mixture. Additionally, pavês can be made of many different flavors, such as chocolate, dulce de leche, peanut, or fruits such as strawberries, pineapples, lemons and peaches.

Cookies made with tapioca flour or corn starch, serve with coffee

Mixed rice with dried beef, shrimp, onions, chili pepper sauce, coconut milk, palm oil

Bobó de camarão, sometimes referred to as shrimp bobó in English, is a chowder-like Brazilian dish of shrimp in a purée of manioc meal with coconut milk, herbs, ginger, red palm oil, and other ingredients. Shrimp bobó is nearly identical to the West African dish Ipetê, and it is one of the many iconic recipes from the Bahia region, which is known for its heavy Afro-Brazilian characteristics. The name bobó comes from the Fon word bovô.

Stew made with sururu mollusks, coconut milk and palm oil

Caruru is a Brazilian food made from okra, onion, shrimp, palm oil and toasted nuts (peanuts and/or cashews). It is a typical condiment in the northeastern state of Bahia, where it is commonly eaten with acarajé, an Afro-Brazilian street food made from mashed black-eyed peas formed into a ball and then deep-fried in palm oil. Caruru possibly comes from the African term kalalu. Another possibility is that it is a Tupi noun, ka'á-riru (lit.: "eating herb"), as defined by the Brazilian folklorist Luís da Câmara Cascudo. It is a curious case of similar words, which generates some confusion between the plant and the dish. Guilherme Piso, who lived in Pernambuco (1638–1644), reports the caruru made with medicinal and food herb (and not with okra). In his story in Historia Naturalis Brasiliae, the doctor from Count Maurício de Nassau informs that "this bredo (caruru) is eaten as a vegetable and cooked instead of spinach ...". Another account, in 1820, in the Amazon, by Von Martius, mentions the "caruru-açu" during a meal with the natives near the Madeira River, when he experienced "a delicacy of chestnuts pounded with an herb similar to spinach ..." . In other words: this description is of a caruru made with the caruru plant, originally from the Americas (and not from Africa, which is the case of okra). For the dish, the cuisine of Dahome Nagô, from Yoruba Nigeria, and indigenous from Bahia would have been combined. During his visit to Africa, at the end of the 18th century, Father Vicente Ferreira Pires called the meal in Daomé "chicken caruru", revealing that the use of oil palm, a palm of African origin. Originally, the Brazilian caruru was a stew of herbs that served to accompany another dish (meat or fish). The current version of the caruru, however, is more African than indigenous, being made with okra, chili, dried shrimp and palm oil.

Stewed chicken and vegetables in a sauce traditionally made with chicken blood, vinegar, tomatoes

Moqueca is a Brazilian seafood stew. Moqueca is typically made with shrimp or fish in a base of tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime, coriander, palm oil and coconut milk. The dish and its countless variations are present in the cuisine of several Brazilian states and compete for the position of national culinary symbol – in 2013, in a promotional survey by the Ministry of Tourism, the typical recipe that could not be missed on a tourist's table was chosen, even displacing feijoada. According to Luís da Câmara Cascudo, author of History of Food in Brazil (Global), the fish that the Indians baked wrapped in leaves was called pokeka.[citation needed] Just like the word, which made “make a wrap”, the dish was gradually transformed, taking on the way of cooking in each place. In Bahia, where African influence prevailed, coconut milk and palm oil became mandatory ingredients – dorado, shark, whiting and sea bass are the most used fish. In the Espírito Santo version, Caloca Fernandes, author of Gastronomic journey through Brazil (Senac-SP), sees a purer aspect of Portuguese stews. In moqueca from Pará, an Amazonian fish that is accompanied by tucupi, jambu and shrimp. In Manaus, versions based on freshwater fish such as pirarucu and surubim also prevail.[citation needed] Regardless of region, cooking in a ceramic pan is often seen as an essential part of the dish, as it is capable of retaining heat and keeping the broth steaming for longer.[citation needed] In Espírito Santo, the subject is taken so seriously that it has become a heritage site – the Ofício das Paneleiras de Goiabeiras, a neighborhood in Vitória, was registered as a cultural asset by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) in 2002.[citation needed] To this day, these ceramic pans are often made with clay from the region according to the indigenous technique: after being modeled by hand, they receive dye made from red mangrove bark, and are burned in the open air. The raw material used goes beyond keeping the moqueca hot. “This type of clay reduces the acidity of tomatoes and peppers, which is why moqueca from Espírito Santo does not cause heartburn”, guarantees Paulo Cesar Casagrande, owner of the Meaípe restaurant in São Paulo. At Meaípe, the Capixaba whiting moqueca is served on the table with rice and pirão. “The Bahian makes the pirão like the Indians: he puts the broth on the plate and throws the raw flour on top. We do it like the Portuguese: first we hydrate the flour in cold water and only then add the broth. As the raw flour ferments in the belly, the Bahian pirão is heavier,” explains Paulo.[citation needed]

Shrimp stew with vegetables, coconut milk and palm oil

Mixed dish of fish, cod, potatoes, kale, eggs, vegetables, garlic

Mollusk similar to mussel

Chicken in a sauce with dried shrimp, nuts and palm oil, serve with rice

Steamed patty of black-eyed peas, stuffed with onion, shrimp and vatapa, serve with caruru

Black-eyed pea fritters stuffed with onion, shrimp and vatapa

Cassava fries

Small round meat pies filled with chicken, shrimp, cheese, hearts of palm

Fritters, commonly filled with chicken or shrimp

Sweet rolls

Funge or fúngi or mfundi (Congo - DCR and the Congo Republic) is a traditional African swallow made of cassava flour whisked into boiling water. It can also be made with sorghum, maize, or millet. It can be served with textured vegetable, fish, or meat stew, as well as other vegetable, meat, and fish dishes. Funge is a staple food in African cuisine. Some richer and more flavorful versions may be made with stock, like fish stock, instead of water. It is also known as bidia (literally "food"). Funge is eaten with the fingers, and a small ball of it can be dipped into an accompanying stew, side dish or sauce. Funge is a traditional staple in Angolan cuisine. In the Lesser Antilles, a similar food is known as fungi or cou-cou.