Pela Culinária do Pará - Tacacá - Levi Freire Jr

What is Tacacá?

Autor: Levi Freire Jr. – Tour Guide.

Its origin is the Indians of Pará State, Tacacá is a delicacy in the Amazon region, in particular of Pará. It is prepared with a thin yellowish broth called tucupi, on which stands starch, shrimp and jambu. Serve hot, seasoned with salt and pepper, gourds.

It is difficult to define tacacá. It would be a kind of drink? Or, perhaps, a kind of porridge? Perhaps a soup? Its definition varies from one person to another. However, all agree that is the hallmark of Belém.

Tacacá is a kind of thick soup served in bowls and sold in many stalls of Belém. The tacacazeiras - the ladies who prepare the tacacá - are a local institution. The main ingredients of the dish are: tucupi broth, the leaves of jambu, starch cassava, Blazing chilli, salted Shrimps (dried), all regional products from Amazon.

Tacacá recipe

Ingredients: 2 liters of tucupi
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
4 chili smell (Pimenta de cheiro)
2 bunches jambu
1 / 2 kg of salted shrimp (dried)
1 / 2 cup of cassava starch
hot peppers

Preparation:
Place in a saucepan tucupi, season with garlic, chicory, basil and salt, bring to the boil and let it come to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes.

The jambu, cook until the stalks are tender, remove and drain, set aside. Remove the heads of the shrimp and soak in a bowl with water to remove salt. Boil 4 cups water with salt, dissolve the cassava starch in a bowl with cold water, place in boiling slowly, until a thick porridge, or, to the point of your choice.

Serve: In a bowl in this order: two tablespoons of tucupi, a gum (cassava starch) shell, a shell tucupi, some leaves of jambu and 5 shrimps, salt and pepper to taste.