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FijiFlavors · Belém
Hot tucupi broth with manioc masa, jambu and dried shrimp, served in a cuia. In Belém it is sold by tacacazeiras at street stalls in the late afternoon, and their craft is recognized as cultural heritage.
Traditional dish from Belém, Pará
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Tacacá — Belém, Brazil
Tacacá is served in a cuia, the bowl made from the fruit of the cuieira. It contains hot tucupi, the yellow broth extracted from bitter cassava, manioc masa (goma), cooked jambu leaves and dried shrimp. Jambu causes a slight numbing and tingling in the mouth, which is part of the dish’s appeal.
Its origin is indigenous, linked to tucupi and manioc broths of the Amazon. In Belém, tacacá became a daily habit: tacacazeiras set up their stalls on corners and in squares, and business grows in the late afternoon, even in the heat. Each vendor has her own balance of goma and tucupi, and many learned the craft from mothers and grandmothers.
This work is recognized at several levels. Pará included tacacá among the typical foods in the state’s cultural heritage and, by its own law, declared tacacazeiras intangible heritage. Belém did the same and created Tacacazeira Day on September 13. IPHAN approved the registration of the Tacacazeira Craft in the Northern Region as Cultural Heritage of Brazil.
Tucupi must be cooked for a long time before use, because bitter cassava is toxic raw. The same broth appears in other dishes from Pará, such as pato no tucupi.
It is eaten standing or seated by the stall, drinking the broth directly from the cuia and picking the shrimp and jambu with a skewer.
Belém , Pará
Belém declared the tacacazeiras intangible heritage and created Tacacazeira Day; tacacá stalls are part of the city’s daily life.
Tucupi (cooked broth from bitter cassava), manioc masa (goma), cooked jambu, dried shrimp, salt and pimenta-de-cheiro to taste.
Hot, in the cuia, drinking the broth directly from the rim and picking the shrimp and jambu with a skewer. It is sold at the tacacazeiras’ stalls.
All year round, especially in the late afternoon. Activity increases during the Círio de Nazaré period in October.
Your questions
It is a hot tucupi broth with manioc masa, jambu and dried shrimp, served in a cuia. It is typical of Belém and other Amazonian cities.
Because of jambu, an Amazonian herb that causes a mild numbness and tingling on the tongue and lips.
The broth is drunk hot, directly from the rim of the cuia. A skewer helps pick up the shrimp and jambu.
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