Acarajé: An expression of Afro-Brazilian tradition

Much more than just a dish from Bahian cuisine, acarajé is a true expression of the rich Afro-Brazilian tradition. With roots in Africa, this delicacy symbolises the fusion of cultures and the resilience of Afro-descendant communities over the centuries.

Street vendors in Salvador

Sold on the streets of Salvador by women known as baianas, acarajé is not only a food, but also a central element of religious and cultural practices.

In this article, we explore the history and meaning of this delicacy, revealing the importance of acarajé in the cultural identity of Bahia and Brazil.

A gastronomic speciality

Acarajé is a gastronomic speciality of Afro-Brazilian cuisine. As well as being the symbolic dish of Bahia, sold on every street corner in Salvador, it is the food of an orixá.

“It is an offering made to Iansã, in the Candomblé temple. The host is to the Catholic Church what acarajé and abará are to African-based religions.

Ingredients and accompaniments

Acarajé is made with black-eyed pea dough, onion and salt, fried in palm oil. It can be served with chilli, dried shrimps, vatapá, caruru or salad, almost all of which are typical ingredients and dishes of Bahian cuisine.

The sacred and the legend of Iansã

Not everyone knows that acarajé is a sacred food offered to Oyá, also known as Iansã, an African goddess who controls the winds, storms, lightning and fire.

According to an African legend, after Iansã had separated from Ogum and joined Xangô, her second husband sent her to the land of the Baribas in search of a preparation that, when ingested, would give her the power to breathe fire. Boldly, the goddess tasted the liquid and gained the power.

Ceremonies and traditions

Historical accounts also reveal that Africans perform ceremonies involving fire to honour the gods, such as acarajé, where the initiate swallows cotton wicks soaked in burning palm oil – a ritual reminiscent of the preparation of traditional acarajé.

Videos on the history of Baiana, acarajé and acarajé recipe

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Como fazer o tradicional Acarajé

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Origin and history of Acarajé

1. History of acarajé

For at least three centuries, the baianas do acarajé (women who sell acarajé) have been working on their recipes, which were brought from Africa during the colonial period.

It was the so-called “escravas de ganho” (hired slaves), whose job it was to go out into the streets and work for their mistresses, selling goods on trays, who started the practice. They sold everything from porridge to fried fish, acarajés to cakes and delicacies such as cocada.

Although they had to give most of their earnings to their owners, the wage slaves were allowed to keep a small portion of what they earned.

This allowed many to support their families – and there were even cases of women who managed to buy their own freedom.

No wonder Rita Santos says that the acarajé seller was the first woman entrepreneur in Brazil.

It was from the profits of the baianas that the money came to create the religious brotherhoods and finance the candomblé terreiros, another argument for the religious importance of acarajé.

In African religions, Iansã, goddess of winds and storms, sought Ifá, an oracle, to prepare food for her husband, Xangó, the orixá of justice, lightning, thunder and fire.

The oracle said that after eating, Xangô should speak to his people. When he did, flames began to shoot from his mouth, and the same thing happened to Iansã.

Everything about acarajé and baianas is steeped in symbolism, from the preparation of the recipe to the clothes worn by the cooks. When prepared for Iansã as an offering, acarajé is always fried and served without accompaniments.

The craft of the baianas continued after the end of slavery and entered the popular imagination during the 20th century.

In 1939, Dorival Caymmi and Carmen Miranda asked what the baiana was, while Ari Barroso recalled that “on the tray of the baiana there is vatapá, caruru, mungunzá and umbu“.

In the 21st century, the craft of the baianas do acarajé (women who sell acarajé) was registered as intangible heritage of Bahia and cultural heritage of Brazil.

So important is the dish that FIFA bowed to pressure during the Confederations Cup and World Cup to allow baianas to sell their acarajés in the Fonte Nova Arena, as they have done for decades.

And there may be more to come: some are arguing that acarajé should be declared a World Heritage Food, in a joint petition by Brazil and Nigeria, where a version of the dish is breakfast for many.

In the meantime, one thing has not changed – the dish remains associated with faith, even if it is no longer exclusive to baianas do acarajé.

2. Buying freedom in colonial Brazil

In colonial Brazil, acarajé was sold on the streets from trays that slave women balanced on their heads while singing to attract customers. The proceeds from the sale of this delicacy enabled many of them to buy their freedom.

The name “acarajé” may be a shortened version of the song sung by these women at the beginning of the 19th century.

The musician Dorival Caymmi freely reproduced one of them in his song A preta: “O acará jé ecó olailai ô”, which was the call for customers to buy acarajé.

In the beginning, black-eyed peas were ground on a stone, 50 cm long, 23 cm wide and about 10 cm high. The flat surface was not smooth, but slightly pitted with a chisel to make it porous or rough.

A cylindrical roller, moved back and forth over the stone in a grinding motion, easily crushed the maize, beans and rice, as explained by the author of the first ethnographic description of acarajé, Manuel Querino, in his 1916 text “A arte culinária na Bahia” (The Culinary Art of Bahia). It was only with the passage of time that electric mills appeared to make the work easier.

“When my grandmother taught me to make acarajé, we used to grind the whole beans on a stone to crush them, now we buy the beans already crushed,” compares Regina, a “baiana” for 37 years and one of the most traditional in Salvador.

She also says that acarajé used to be served on banana leaves with only chilli, but customers became more demanding and the baianas began to add new fillings such as salad, vatapá, shrimp and caruru.

3. Religiosity and Acarajé

In the past, only the daughters of Iansã and the Xangô were allowed to sell acarajé, but the popularity of this delicacy led to the appearance of baianas of all religions.

Today, it is not only women who make acarajé, but also men.

What is interesting, however, is that everyone maintains an unwavering respect for the rituals surrounding the act of making the cakes.

The famous Regina, for example, does not touch the ingredients without first taking an “axé bath” (a bath with leaves). When she arrives at her place in Itapuã, she makes seven small acarajés to clean the street and leave it free and peaceful.

4. Standardisation of acarajé.

Recently, a survey showed that the quality of the acarajés sold in Salvador was not very good.

To change this perception, the activity of the baianas has been regulated by Municipal Decree 12.175/1998 and subsequent regulations, which also standardise their clothing and the tabuleiro (tray), and above all ensure hygiene in the preparation and handling of food. A minimum distance of 50 metres between trays has also been established.

Now, in order to sell their delicacies, the baianas must be trained through courses and also receive financial support to maintain their trays, which are now inspected. The initiative demonstrates a commitment to preserving the tradition of acarajé, which remains one of the main attractions on the menu for both locals and the thousands of visitors who come to Bahia every year. This is part of the culture and heritage of the Bahian people!

5. Acarajé from Baiana

Baiana selling acarajé on the streets of Salvador.

Acarajé is also a typical dish of Bahian cuisine and one of the main products sold on the tray of the baiana (a woman who sells acarajé), which is heavier (the name given to the container used by the baiana of the acarajé to display the food), more spiced and tastier than when made for the orixá.

The preparation is practically the same; the difference lies in the way it is served: it can be cut in half and stuffed with vatapá, caruru, sauteed prawns, chillies and a salad of green and red tomatoes with coriander.

Acarajé is similar to abará, differing only in the way it is cooked. Acarajé is fried, while abará is steamed.

Ingredients of acarajé

The ingredients for acarajé are half a kilo of peeled and ground black-eyed peas, 150g of grated onion, a dessert spoon of salt or to taste, and a litre of palm oil for frying. -de-dendê for frying.

The shrimp filling is made with 4/6 cup of palm oil, 3 chopped onions, garlic to taste, 700g of smoked shrimp, 3 chopped green chillies, 3 chopped red chillies, 3 chopped lemongrass stalks, 3 chopped lemongrass stalks, 3 chopped lemongrass stalks, 3 -de-dendê, 3 chopped onions, garlic to taste, 700g of smoked shrimp without shells and green herbs sautéed for 10 to 15 minutes. You can add tomatoes and coriander, and as mentioned above, caruru, vatapá and pepper sauce.

Origin and history of acarajé: Discover the Afro-Brazilian tradition

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