The Amazon - The Rough Guide to Brazil - page 340

5 AMAZON CUISINE

As you might expect from the richest freshwater ecosystem in the world, fish takes pride of
place in Amazonian cooking , and you'll come across dozens of species. There are many
kinds of huge, almost boneless fish, including pirarucu , tambaqui and filhote , which come in
dense slabs sometimes more like meat, and are delicious grilled over charcoal. Smaller, bonier
fish, such as surubim , curimatã , jaraqui , acari and tucunaré , can be just as succulent, the latter
similar to a large tasty mullet. Fish in the Amazon is commonly just barbecued or fried; its
freshness and flavour need little help. It's also served no escabeche (in a tomato sauce), a leite
de coco (cooked in coconut milk) or stewed in tucupí .
The other staple food in Amazônia is manioc . Farinha , a manioc flour consumed throughout
Brazil, is supplied at the table in granulated form - in texture akin to gravel - for mixing with the
meat or fish juices with most meals, and is even added to coffee. Less bland and more filling,
manioc is also eaten throughout Amazônia on its own or as a side dish, either boiled or fried
(known as macaxeira in Manaus and western Amazônia, or mandioca elsewhere). A more exciting
form of manioc, tucupí , is produced from its fermented juices. This delicious sauce can be used
to stew fish in or to make pato no tucupí (duck stewed in tucupí ). Manioc juice is also used to
make beiju (pancakes) and doce de tapioca , a tasty cinnamon-flavoured tapioca pudding. A
gloopy, translucent manioc sauce also forms the basis of one of Amazônia's most distinctive
dishes, tacacá , a shrimp soup gulped from a gourd bowl and sold everywhere from chichi
restaurants to street corners. Other typical regional dishes include maniçoba , pieces of meat and
sausage stewed with manioc leaves, and vatapá , a North Brazil version of the Bahian shrimp dish.
Finally, no stay in the Amazon would be complete without sampling the remarkable variety
of tropical fruits the region has to offer, which form the basis for a mouthwatering array of
sucos and ice creams. Most have no English or even Portuguese translations. Palm fruits are
among the most common; you are bound to come across açaí , a deep purple pulp mixed with
water and drunk straight, with added sugar, with tapioca or thickened with farinha and eaten.
Other palm fruits include taperebá , which makes a delicious suco , bacuri and buriti . Also good,
especially as sucos or ice cream, is acerola (originally it came over with the first Japanese
settlers in the 1920s, although Amazonians swear it is regional), peroba , graviola , ata (also
called fruta de conde ) and, most exotic of all, cupuaçú , which looks like an elongated brown
coconut and floods your palate with the tropical taste to end all tropical tastes.

Remanso do Bosque Av Rômulo Maiorana 2350
T 91 3347 2829, W restauranteremanso.com.br. One of
the city's best restaurants offering excellent fish dishes that
come grilled, baked or cooked in a wood-fire oven (R$109).
Meat lovers can go for the pork belly (R$46), and to round
off your meal make sure to try the bolinho de tapioca
assado , a warm tapioca pudding served with ice cream

(R$15). Tues-Sun 11.30am-3.30pm & 7-10.30pm.
Sorveteria Cairú Travessa 14 de Março at Gov José
Malcher 1570 T 91 3242 2749. This hugely popular ice-
cream place offers over 65 exotic flavours (R$5 per scoop) of
regional fruits like graviola (soursop), cupuaçu , mangaba and
the much sought-after açaí . Plenty of branches across town,
including at the Estação das Docas. Daily 8am-11.45pm.

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Belém's real nightlife rarely begins much before 10 or 11pm, with Estação das Docas and the Docas area around Visconde
de Souza Franco being the main focus in the centre.

Amazon Beer Estação das Docas, Av Castilhos França
T 91 3212 5400. This microbrewery at the Estação das
Docas offers seven types of locally brewed beer (R$5-10)
to be enjoyed with the place's famed pork banger ( linguiça
de metro ; R$36), which is one metre long. Mon-Thurs
5pm-midnight,

and crowds spilt onto the dance floor; there's also an
outdoor area to enjoy a drink or two. Mon-Fri 6pm-2am,
Sat & Sun noon-4pm & 6pm-2am.
Cosanostra Travessa Benjamin Constant 1499 T 91
3241 1068. With a bit of an English pub feel to it, this
drinking hole with dim lighting attracts Belém's bohemians
who meet here over beers (R$6.50) and gin and tonics
(R$12) until the wee hours. Grub is ordered at the bar.
Mon-Sat noon-4am.
Palafita Rua Siqueira Mendes 264 T 91 3212 6302.

Fri 5pm-1.30am, Sat & Sun

11am-1.30am.
Casa D'Noca Travessa 9 de Janeiro 1677 T 91 3229
1792, W casadnoca.com. A great spot for some Brazilian
live music - mainly samba. Bands take centre stage daily