The cuisine in the northeast of Brazil is African influenced, especially in Salvador da Bahia, until the 19th the center of the slave trade was there.In addition to numerous deities (orixás), the slaves also brought their culinary preferences with them.

The dishes have such euphonious names as Moqueca de Peixe (a kind of fish stew), Bobó de Camarão (a shrimp dish), Casquinha de Siri (with crayfish), Vatapá (with fish, shrimp and coconut milk), Acarajé (batter of shelled beans, street food).

The delicious dishes live through highly aromatic spices and the typical ingredients of the country. Very important is dendê, an orange-colored palm oil with an unmistakable aroma. Coconut milk and a strong pinch of Pimenta Malagueta (a chili variety) enrich the flavor canvas.

Ground peanuts or cashews give the dishes a very unique touch.

Coconut, dendê oil, peanuts, fish and shellfish, wonderfully contrasting and yet so harmonious.

Some recipes from Salvador are very complex, but this Xinxim is makeable! Xinxim is a fusion of African heritage, Portuguese colonization and Native American influences.The dish also plays an important role in Candomblé, where it is offered to the Orixá Akeran at certain festivities.

Rice is a perfect accompaniment, but Brazilians also like to serve roasted cassava flour, sometimes toasted with a little butter or spiced up with a few olives. My drink recommendation: ice-cold beer, or coconut water, directly from the freshly peeled fruit (ok, the latter is not available here, but maybe you sail in the Caribbean or off the Brazilian coast).

some more tips:

• I use 1 cup of dendê, but the oil is very intense in flavor, if it tastes too strong for you, just use less! Add it by the spoonful until you are satisfied with the result. A mixture of olive oil and dendê has worked very well for me, you can control the flavor great with it.
• Chicken
  It is always difficult to find a good chicken that has been allowed to live with some dignity, outdoor chicken is best, also the corn chicken is characterized by fine taste. If you use the legs, I recommend peeling off the skin
  Why? Quite simply, with a grilled or baked chicken, the fat is reduced by the high heat, and on the plate you will have the crispy piece of poulard. But with Xinxim, the poultry is braised, less or no skin means less fat, means lighter dish!
• The chicken breast stews at the beginning and then again at the end, in between we take out the white meat so it stays nice and juicy. The parred and skinned drumsticks, on the other hand, party the whole time in the cooking pot, they then become butter tender and take on all the flavors.
• Dried Shrimp
  
  Dried shrimp are an integral part of Salvador da Bahia, they are ground, mortared or added whole. If you don’t have them at hand, there is a trick: simply cut small pieces of shrimp into the broth, and they will stew happily, leaving behind their wonderful aroma, a greeting from Yemanjá, so to speak.
• Peanuts, Cashews
  At home I chop the nuts with a blitz chopper, on board I improvise. Maybe a mortar? Or one gives the nuts in a tea towel, in order to treat them then with the heavy shell, from one of the dangerous dives.

I recommend the cook to warm up with this hymn to the wonderful city of Salvador da Bahia, maybe a little Caipi to go with it? So that you understand what is being sung, I have translated the lyrics of the song hurriedly.

Bahia, my eyes are shining

My heart beating with so much happiness
It’s the queen of universal beauty
My dear Bahia
Long before the Empire was the first capital

Old Black Benedict already said
Happiness also lives in Bahia
Your history, your glory
Your name is tradition

Bahia of the old market
The Conceição Hill
It’s so rich in minerals
It has cocoa, it has carnauba

Famous jacaranda trees
Land blessed by the gods
And the oil gushing out

Nega baiana
A tray of quindim
Every day she’s there
In the church of Bonfim, oi
On the hillside there’s capoeira

Zum, zum, zum, zum, zum, zum

Preparation time: 1,5h

Ingredients for 6 people

• 800 G fresh chicken breast, preferably cornish hen
• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 1 bunch of spring onions (if not available on board, ordinary onions will also do)
• 3 chili peppers
• 5 fresh garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
• 4 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup dendê or palm oil (there are also organic products)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying (I mix it with dendê)
• olive oil to taste for the marinade
• 100 G peanuts, roasted (without scale: 2 handfuls)
• 100 G cashew, roasted (without scale: 2 handfuls)
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (or parsley, which works just as well, coreander is often polarizing)
• 100 G dried shrimp – a handful- (the Smut may also omit this if it cannot be found)
• Fresh ginger, half of a medium bulb, grated or cut into tiny pieces
• 2 cans of coconut milk (usually there are 400 G in it)
• 800 G king prawns (good frozen or of course fresh, it should be possible)
• Without scales I would say: at least 24 nice big shrimps, rather more, for the hungry sailors.
• Salt

How to prepare:

For the chicken

Remove the skin and vision from drumsticks, break the leg at the joint and cut each into 2 pieces. Then cut the breast into even pieces, it is up to the smut how he does it.

If he is economical or even stingy, like Lt. Comdr. Philip Francis Queeg on the Caine, then he takes smaller pieces. If he is more generous, perhaps like Long John Silver on the Hispaniola, then he may give the crew the full broadside and cut larger pieces.

• For the marinade, crush one of the garlic cloves, mix with the juice of one lime, some dendê and olive oil, add a little salt.
• Put the chicken pieces into the marinade and rub them well from all sides. The chicken does not have to stay in it for long, it just wants to get familiar with the lime, garlic and dendê, which will be the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

• Chop the spring onions (or onions) and garlic.
• In the largest pot that the galley (for you it’s probably more like a pantry), leave out 2 tablespoons of dendê oil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat.  Saute the onions and garlic together with the dendê. Chop the cilantro and/or parsley, add and stir everything nicely. Stirring is a good keyword by the way, you have to do it affectionately all the time.

• Peel and chop 8 shrimp and add to the amusing simmering broth.

• Now add the breast and drumstick and fry cheerfully on all sides. When the breast has taken on color, remove it and put it to one side. Be careful with the ship’s dog, which has long since smelled a rat and can only be driven out of the galley with iron severity. Small tip: Dust poultry lightly with flour before braising, this will result in a creamier consistency at the end. Simmer drumsticks quietly at low to medium temperature for about 40 minutes. A little coconut milk may also go in. Season to taste with dendê.

• Peel, fillet and add the tomatoes
• Now it’s time to add some malagueta (chili), the skipper should consult with the crew, but usually nothing knocks out a sailor so. 3 hot peppers should be enough. Cut lengthwise, remove the seeds, then dice and off you go.
• Small tip: You can influence the spiciness a little by the time, the longer the Chilies cook, the spicier it will be at the end.
• Shrimps
• In the meantime, peel the remaining shrimp and remove the shells. Heat a mixture of olive oil and dendê in the pan again (or just olive oil), some garlic will also fit in the same pan. Fry shrimp for about 3-4 minutes on all sides, so that they still remain a little glassy, set aside. They are served at the end.
• Nos you really need to check whether the navigator on the bridge is still focused. Uncontrolled escaping Xinxim vapors are still a great danger for international cruising as well as for ambitious sailing. Sad examples abound:

Nota Bene:

Nos you really need to check whether the navigator on the bridge is still focused. Uncontrolled escaping Xinxim vapors are still a great danger for international cruising as well as for ambitious sailing. Sad examples abound:

14 April 1912, about 9:40 p.m.. 

300 nautical miles southeast of Newfoundland, the Titanic glides majestically through the glassy sea on a starry night. Also on board is the Brazilian Gum Baron Antonio César Souza de Andrades-Limões, a great gourmet. In his private suite, he asks for Xinxim with an extra portion of malagueta. A little later, the personal chef brings the order, and as always, the portions are very generous. The eccentric magnate decides on a whim to send the remaining leftovers to the bridge, the officers should have some too. A short time later, the proud ship is heading straight for the catastrophe that is still imprinted on humanity’s memory today.

• Grate ginger or cut very small, add, do not forget to taste again and again.
• Optional: add half of the Dried Shrimp (ground).

• Peanuts and cashews somehow get small and add half each. Stir well.
• Coconut milk
• 1 can usually has 400 ML content.  Add the contents of one can of coconut milk first, then the other can towards the end. Everyone should have enough sauce to provide plenty for the chicken, rice and shrimp.
• Return chicken breasts to pot, stir. Turn temperature to lowest setting and let chicken cook for another 10-15 minutes.
• Add in remaining coconut milk, ground nuts and remaining chopped parsley (or cilantro).

Serve immediately with the Rice.

Garrincha, a brilliant Brazilian forward was also a great eater and drinker.
Garrincha became immortal at the 1962 World Cup in Chile, after Pelé’s injury he seized the moment and thrilled fans around the world with his wonderful style. He was probably one of the most extraordinary talents in the history of football, despite an unbelievable physical handicap for a footballer – he had one x-leg and one o-leg – he was able to perform tricks on the ball that are still legendary today (for example the Garrincha double scissors). With the small pension that the Brazilian state paid him, he could no more finance his lifestyle (lots of whiskey, lots of feijoada) than he could finance his 14 children..

Ingredients:
for 10 persons

1.2 kg black beans
(if you know your way around, you can of course choose from the following varieties, according to your taste:
carioquinha, preto, de corda, jalo, branco, rosado, fradinho, rajado e bolinha).
Personally, I prefer the somewhat lighter variety carioquinha, but the very dark varieties also make a very good and aromatic feijoada if the cooking times are strictly adhered to.

6-8 smoked sausages, here in Germany best so-called Polish, or raw Polish, a good cabanossi can also be used. The rule is: the better the product, the better the feijoada.

250 gr. streaky bacon, not too greasy and not too smoked.

400 gr. smoked pork or ribs

The ribs, as well as the bacon, can be understood as a substitute for the pigs’ feet that are often used in Brazil. In general, you can give free rein to your imagination as far as the meat ingredients are concerned, the only important thing is the quality. Avoid overly salty meat, or take the salt content of the ingredients into account when salting the feijoada.

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions
4 cloves fresh garlic
1 bunch of parsley (I personally prefer fresh coriander, which can be found in any well-stocked Asian shop, but fresh coriander is a matter of taste, some cooks claim that the coriander has a somewhat soapy taste…)
3 large tomatoes
3 large bay leaves
1 tablespoon vinegar
Salt + pepper

In 1970, the Seleção celebrated magnificent football at the World Cup in Mexico. It was Pelé’s last appearance in the Canarinhos’ dress. In the final, Brazil defeated the Italians 4-1.
Gerson, Jairzinho and Carlos Alberto scored in the second half to give Brazil a 4-1 victory over an Italian team that was noticeably weakened by the difficult semi-final match against West Germany. It was to be 24 years before a Brazilian team was allowed to hold the Cup in its hands again.

Zubereitung:

Put the beans in plenty of cold water a day before to soak.
Chop the onions and fry them with 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy frying pan. Fry the sausages together with the onions in the same pan for approx. 4-5 min. Do the same with the meat. Remove the inserts from the pan and set aside. Put the beans in a large saucepan, pour on water (about 3 thumb-thick over the beans). Bring to a slow simmer over a low heat.

Salt and pepper, add the bay leaves. Add a little water to the onion mixture in the pan and add to the bean pot. Continue to simmer. Peel, fillet and chop the tomatoes and add, as well as chop and add the garlic. Chop the parsley and add to the feijoada.
Now add the meat garnishes (if they don’t all go into the pot, just add some and take them out again, and add new pieces of meat).
Never increase the temperature of the plate too much (gas lowest flame, electric maximum level 1), keep stirring the feijoada.

Cook for at least 21/2 hours. If necessary, remove the meat from the pot beforehand so that it does not dry out but remains nice and juicy. In between, season again with the vinegar.
Serve with rice and manioc flour, as well as filleted oranges or pineapple. A spicy sauce made from fresh tomatoes and pimenta malagueta is also a good choice (of course, a nice chilli is also fine).

Zubereitungszeit: 2-3 Stunden

Zutaten für 12 Personen

10-12 EL Dendê-Öl
2-3 Dosen Kokosmilch
2 EL Olivenöl
1 geschältes (kleines) Weißbrot oder ein Baguette
5 süße Tomaten
2 Limonen

350 Gr. gemahlene Erdnüsse
100 Gr. gemahlene Cashews

2 TL frisch gemahlener schwarzer Pfeffer
Salz nach Belieben

Frischer Ingwer, gerieben
1 Bund frischer Koreander
1 Bund Petersilie
3 Knoblauchzehen
2-3 kleine, rote Chillies
4 mittlere Zwiebeln

1-2 Packungen “Dried Shrimp” im Asialaden erhältlich
1,5 KG weißer Fisch, vorzugsweise Kabeljau
1 KG Garnelen

Zubereitung

Schneiden Sie das Weißbrot ohne Rinde in Kleine Würfel, geben Sie es in eine Schale und fügen Sie eine Dose Kokosmilch hinzu, vermengen Sie den Teig mit der Hand bis er eine pastöse Konsistenz hat, stellen Sie ihn zur Seite

Schneiden Sie die geschälten Tomaten in kleine Stücke und verfahren Sie bei den Zwiebeln genau so.

Geben sie etwas Olivenöl in einen großen Topf und erhitzen sie es. Fügen sie nun zuerst die Zwiebeln hinzu und lassen Sie sie zusammen mit dem geschnittenen Koreander und der Petersilie etwas anschwitzen (manche mögen den Koreander nicht so sehr, er kann dann aber durch Petersilie ersetzt werden).

Geben Sie dann die Tomaten und den in dünne Scheiben geschnitten Knoblauch hinzu. Rühren Sie diese Grundsubstanz bei mittlerer Hitze. Fügen Sie nach und nach etwas Kokosmilch und Dendê-Öl hinzu.

Würzen Sie mit Salz und Pfeffer.

In der Zwischenzeit sollten die Fischfilets zu mittelgroßen Stücken verarbeitet sein, die sie dann nach und nach hinzufügen, rühren Sie die Masse weiter, damit sich der Fisch faserig auflöst. Geben Sie nun ein wenig von der Weißbrot-Kokosmilch Paste dazu und verühren Sie die Mischung.

Fangen Sie an das Vatapá mit Dendê abzuschmecken, es entfaltet sich der typische Duft dieser Speise.

Geben Sie die Getrockneten Shrimps in einen Blitzhacker und mahlen sie sie sein, verfahren sie genau so mit den Erdnüssen und den Cashews. Fügen Sie dann Shrimps, Erdnüsse und Cashews eßlöffelweise hinzu. Das Vatapá brennt gerne an, sie müssen immer wieder rühren, damit sich nichts am Topfboden absetzt.

Füllen Sie den Topf nun nach und nach mit der Weißbrot-Kokosmilch-Paste, dem Fisch und der Hälfte der frischen, geschälten Garnelen. Reiben sie etwas von der geschälten Ingwer-Wurzel in das Vatapá und schmecken sie mit dem ausgepressten Limonensaft ab. Rühren sie immer weiter.

Schmecken Sie nach Belieben mit Dendê ab.

Kochen sie das Vatapá bei ganz geringer Hitze immer weiter, bis sich eine breiähnliche Masse bildet.

Arbeiten Sie die Masse mit einem Pürierstab durch, sie selbst entscheiden, ob sie das Vatapá ganz fein haben wollen oder etwas “struktureller”, mit Biss, füllen Sie immer wieder Kokosmilch nach.
Man reicht dazu mit Zwiebeln geröstetes Maniok-Mehl und Reis, als Getränk empfehle ich ein eiskaltes Bier!