July 2nd (Dois de Julho) is celebrated as Independence Day in Salvador da Bahia, and was considered the definitive end of Portuguese rule in 1823, so it’s the perfect day to celebrate Bahian food! Bahia has great street food, and you can find wonderful Acarajé on nearly any corner, so what could be better than an Acarajé stand surrounded by tons of other great eats? On Friday evenings during the summer (December – April in the southern hemisphere) there is a great street market put on by the Instituto Mauá in the neighborhood of Porto da Barra in Salvador called “Delícias do Porto (Delicacies of the Port)” Though the summer is now over in Brazil, it appears to be a yearly event, so check back for further updates. We highly recommended this fair for its variety, and for bringing a little culinary nightlife to the Porto da Barra area, which can feel empty during the evening hours.
You can recognize the market by its characteristic yellow booths, which seem to pop up out of nowhere on Fridays. In addition to food, there are also artisans selling traditional crafts as well as jewelry, clothes and other items. However, of course for us, the draw was the food! There was all sorts of Bahian food for sale: street favorites like Beijus, Abará, Queijo coalho, Acarajé – and even some things less commonly found in street stalls – Sarapatel, Bolo de Aipim and Xinxim. In between all of the stalls is a large, open seating area, so eating your food at a leisurely pace is encouraged.
The Xinxim (whick we had before, but in reference to a VERY different dish) was made of ground nuts, dendê (palm) oil, coconut milk, okra and shrimp. Though perhaps not the most visually appealing dish, we loved the unusual combination of savory flavors. Don’t forget to add the hot sauce and dried shrimp!
Of course no outdoor market in Bahia would be complete without Acarajé – the trusty black-eyed pea fritter that is pure “Bahia.” This one was from Dona Emilia (whose booth is there even when the whole fair is not), and was cooked fresh to order. Everything at the fair was very reasonably priced, and we couldn’t think of a better way to spend a balmy evening – watching the sunset and washing down our Acarajé with some Guaraná soda in hand.
Eating The World 