Acarajé
Black-eyed pea fritters fried in dendê, split open and filled with vatapá, dried shrimp, salad and hot pepper sauce.
What makes it acarajé
- Black-eyed peas, skinned and beaten with onion into a light batter.
- Deep-fried in dendê.
- Split and filled — vatapá, caruru, dried shrimp, pepper sauce.
Where it comes from
Its roots are in West Africa, in the Yoruba bean fritter àkàrà, brought to Bahia by enslaved Yoruba people. The Brazilian name is often explained as àkàrà with the Yoruba word for 'to eat'.
It's sold on the streets of Salvador by the baianas de acarajé, women in white dresses and head wraps, and it's also a sacred food in Candomblé, offered to the orixá Iansã. The baianas' craft is recognised by Brazil as part of its national heritage.
How it varies
- Abará
- The same batter wrapped in banana leaves and steamed instead of fried.
Be the first here
Start your own acarajéNo one here has made acarajé yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.
Near it
NigerianAkaraFritters of peeled black-eyed beans, ground with onion and pepper, whipped light and deep-fried until golden.No one here has made it yetBrazilianVatapáA thick, creamy paste of bread, dried shrimp, peanuts and cashews cooked with coconut milk, dendê and ginger.No one here has made it yet