Paçoca () is a

candy Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...

made out of ground

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

and

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

. Some recipes also add flour, such as corn flour, oat flour or cassava flour. It is typical of the Brazilian

Caipira A Caipira () is an ethnic group native to Paulistânia, cultural area in Brazil, the term "''caipira''", of origin in the Paulista General language, probably influenced by the terms "''kai'pira''", "''ka'apir''", "''ka'a pora''" or "''kopira'' ...

cuisine and most present in the countryside of southeastern states of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

and

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

, being either manufactured or home-made. It is also very common during the

Festa Junina ''Festas Juninas'' (, ''June Festivals'', "festivities that occur in the month of June"), also known as ''festas de São João'' for their part in celebrating the nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24), are the annual Brazilian celebrations ...

, an annual festivity that celebrates the

caipira A Caipira () is an ethnic group native to Paulistânia, cultural area in Brazil, the term "''caipira''", of origin in the Paulista General language, probably influenced by the terms "''kai'pira''", "''ka'apir''", "''ka'a pora''" or "''kopira'' ...

lifestyle. It is known for its distinct dry texture and sweet taste, and is one of the most beloved Brazilian candies.Abicab, Brazilian industry association of chocolates, cocoa, peanuts, candies and derivatives
(in Portuguese).

Origins

Paçoca in its present form was invented during the Colonial Brazil Period, but

Native Brazilian Indigenous peoples in Brazil ( pt, povos indígenas no Brasil) or Indigenous Brazilians ( pt, indígenas brasileiros, links=no) once comprised an estimated 2000 tribes and nations inhabiting what is now the country of Brazil, before European con ...

peoples had recipes that mixed cassava flour with other ingredients prior to colonization. Those recipes were modified by the settlers, creating the current combination that uses sugar.

Name and relationship to the savory dish

The name "paçoca" comes from the

Tupi Tupi may refer to: * Tupi people of Brazil * Tupi or Tupian languages, spoken in South America ** Tupi language, an extinct Tupian language spoken by the Tupi people * Tupi oil field off the coast of Brazil * Tupi Paulista, a Brazilian municipalit ...

word "posok" (pronounced /pɔsɔk/) which means "to crumble" or "to shatter," and is shared with the salty Paçoca dish. Both are a mix of

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

flour with other ingredients: peanut and sugar in the case of the sweet, and

carne-de-sol Carne-de-sol (, locally , Portuguese for "sun meat"), or jabá () is a dish from Northeastern Brazil. It consists of heavily salted beef, which is exposed to the sun for one or two days to cure. Carne-de-sol is sometimes fried and served as a h ...

(''sun-dried-beef'') for the salty dish. Both dishes seem to have originated from the same

customs, but have grown to be completely different products.

Production

The traditional artisanal process of making paçoca involves first roasting the peanuts, then grinding all the ingredients together using a traditional mortar (''pilão'').Get to know a paçoca factory
(in Portuguese). In more modern manufacturing techniques, instead of a mortar, industrial blenders are used, and the Paçocas are later pressed into many shapes, most commonly square or cork shapes.

Variations

Some companies have created variations from the traditional Paçoca recipe, which include a diet version, with no sugar added, and a version with a concentration of peanuts. Paçoca S (119399301)

References

Brazilian confectionery Candy Portuguese words and phrases Indigenous cuisine of the Americas {{Brazil-cuisine-stub

Origins

Name and relationship to the savory dish

Production

Variations

See also

References