Like the hamburger and the banana split in the United States, Brazil’s cuisine is the product of tradition and happenstance. Each region of Brazil - depending on its indigenous culture, which European group colonized it, nearness to rivers or the ocean annual rain and soil conditions - developed its own very diverse dishes.
The cuisine from Bahia dates back to the time of slavery when the masters saved scraps from the table or leftovers from the previous day’s meal to give to the slaves. Some slaves were allowed to fish and look for shrimp and clams. Remembering their cooking-pot training from Africa, the women would put bits of ingredients together and add the milk of coconuts or the oil from the dendê palm. Over the years these concoctions were worked out in recipes and were given names. Today it is called Bahian food. Some of its delicacies are:
Vatapá: Shrimp are either cut up or ground together with pieces of fish, then cooked with dendê palm oil, coconut milk and pieces or bread. The dish is served over white rice.
Sarapatel: The liver and heart of either a pig or a sheep are mixed with fresh blood of either animal; tomatoes, peppers, and onions are added and everything is cooked together.
Carurú: Sauteed shrimp are combined with a very sharp sauce made of red peppers and tiny okra.
cooking-pot training from Africa, the women would put bits of ingredients together and add the milk of coconuts or the oil from the dendê palm. Over the years these concoctions were worked out in recipes and were given names. Today it is called Bahian food. Some of its delicacies are: