Acaçá (from

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

: àkàsà, also known as ẹ̀kọ) is a ritual food central to ceremonies of Afro-Brazilian religions, specifically to

Candomblé Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman ...

rituals. It is found in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco,

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

, and Rio de Janeiro. Pai Cido de Osun Eyin stated that "life ..is sustained, and is renewed with the ritual offering of acaçá." It has at least two variations: a similar dish made of black beans (''acaçá de feijão-preto'') and a drink (''acaçá de leite'') also used in Candomblé rituals. Acaçá is the only ritual food required in Candomblé; it is offered to all the

orixá Orishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. ...

s in the Candomblé pantheon. Acaçá made of white corn is offered to Oxala; that made of yellow corn is offered to

Oxossi Oshosi (Yoruba: Ọ̀ṣọ́ọ̀sì, Portuguese: Oxóssi) is an Orisha of the Yoruba religion in West Africa and subsequently in Brazil and Cuba. Yoruba Oshosi is the spirit associated with the hunt, forests, animals, and wealth. He is spirit ...

Preparation

Acaçá is made of white or red corn soaked in water for a day, which is then passed through a mill to make a paste or dough. The paste or dough is cooked in a pan and stirred continuously to reach a correct consistency. While warm small portions of the dough are wrapped in a clean, folded clean banana leaf and passed over a fire. Finely ground white cornmeal can be substituted for soaked corn. The acaçá is cut into pieces of equal size. They are arranged on a platter to be placed on or near a ''pegi'', or Candomblé altar. They also decorate other ritual foods in Candomblé, notably

vatapá Vatapá (Yoruba: vata'pa, ) is an Afro-Brazilian dish made from bread, shrimp, coconut milk, finely ground peanuts and palm oil mashed into a creamy paste. It is a typical food of Salvador, Bahia and it is also common to the North and Northea ...

Acaçá de feijão-preto

Acaçá de feijão-preto ( pt, acaçá of black beans) is a variation of the acaçá made from black beans, i.e., the

black turtle bean The black turtle bean is a small, shiny variety of the common bean ('' Phaseolus vulgaris'') especially popular in Latin American cuisine, though it can also be found in the Cajun and Creole cuisines of south Louisiana. Like all varieties of th ...

(''Phaseolus vulgaris''). Black beans are substituted for soaked corn, similarly made into a paste, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed in a pan. Acaçá de feijão-preto is specifically offered to the god Ogum. The variation of acaçá is associated with Casa Fanti Ashanti, a Candomblé temple of the Jeje-Nagô tradition in the neighborhood of

Cruzeiro do Anil Cruzeiro, generally the Portuguese language term for a large cross, may refer to: Places Brazil * Cruzeiro, Belo Horizonte, a neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, near Savassi * Cruzeiro, Federal District, an administrative region of the Federal ...

, São Luís, in the state of Maranhão.

Acaçá de leite

Acaçá de leite () is a fermented drink used in Candomblé rituals. It is made from a corn mush to which milk and other seasonings are added. The drink is then fermented. Acaçá de leite is found in Candomblé temples in Bahia and the state of Rio de Janeiro. A variation, acaçá de leite de coco, is made from

coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...

. This variation is found in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acaca Brazilian cuisine Maize dishes Ceremonial food and drink Vegan cuisine Candomblé