Acaraje
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Àkàrà (
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 ...
)( English: Bean cake Hausa: kosai, Portuguese: Acarajé () is a type of
fritter A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables or other ingredients which have been Batter (cooking), battered or breading, breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-frying, deep-fried. Fritters ar ...
made from cowpeas or beans (black eye peas). It is found throughout West African,
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, and
Brazilian cuisine Brazilian cuisine is the set of cooking practices and traditions of Brazil, and is characterized by European, Amerindian, African, and Asian ( Lebanese, Chinese and, most recently, Japanese) influences. It varies greatly by region, reflecting t ...
s. The dish is traditionally encountered in Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia, especially in the city of
Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
. Acarajé serves as both a religious offering to the gods in the
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 ...
religion and as street food. The dish was brought by enslaved peoples from West Africa, and can still be found in various forms in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Mali,
Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone. Akara is an African cuisine that originated from the Yoruba culture, it is made from peeled beans (black eye peas), washed and ground with pepper, and other preferred seasonings, then beaten to aerate them, and deep fried in small balls. Brazilian acarajé is made from cooked and mashed cowpeas that are seasoned with salt and chopped onions molded into the shape of a large scone and deep-fried in dendê with a wok-like pan in front of the customers. It is served split in half and stuffed with ''
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 ...
'' and ''caruru'' – spicy pastes made from
shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
, ground
cashew The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cult ...
s,
palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...
and other ingredients. A vegetarian version is typically served with
hot pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for t ...
s and green tomatoes. Acarajé can also come in a second form called abara, where the ingredients are steamed instead of deep-fried.


Etymology

Àkàrà is a Yoruba word meaning "bread" or "pastry", or the dish itself. The Brazilian term "acarajé" derives from either the Yoruba word combinations "àkàrà" (bread) and "onje" (food), or "àkará" (a round pastry) and "je" (to eat).Márcio de Jagun states that the word drives from the Yoruba ''àkàrà n'jẹ'', or "come and eat àkàrà"; the phrase was used to call out to customers by women selling acarajé on the street.


History

Akara plays a significant role in the Yoruba culture, as it is specially prepared when a person who has come of age (70 and above) dies. It is usually prepared in large quantities and distributed across every household close to the deceased. Akara also used to be prepared in large as a sign of victory, when
warriors A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...
came back victorious from war. The women, especially the wives of the Warriors were to fry Akara and distribute it to the villagers. Akara (as it is known in southwest Nigeria) a recipe taken to Brazil by the enslaved peoples from the West African coast. It is called "akara" by the Yoruba people of south-western Nigeria and by the citizens of Sierra Leone, "kosai" by the Hausa people of Nigeria or "koose" in Ghana and is a popular
breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or "t ...
dish, eaten with
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
or
corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
pudding Pudding is a type of food. It can be either a dessert or a savoury (salty or spicy) dish served as part of the main meal. In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, ins ...
. In Nigeria, Akara is commonly eaten with bread,
akamu Akamu (or ''Ogi'') is a fermented cereal pudding and popular street food from Nigeria, typically made from maize, sorghum, or millet. Traditionally, the grains are soaked in water for up to three days, before wet-milling and sieving to remove h ...
ogi (or eko), a type of
cornmeal Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) or a cell membrane ground from dried corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', ...
made with fine corn flour. In Sierra Leone, akara is composed of rice flour, mashed banana, baking powder, and sugar. After mixed together, it is dropped in oil by hand, and fried, similar to
Puff-puff Puff-puff, as it is called in Nigeria, is a traditional African snack made of fried dough. Other names for the food include buffloaf (or bofrot) in Ghana, botokoin in Togo, gato in Guinea and Mali, bofloto in the Ivory Coast, mikate in Congo, ...
. It is then formed into a ball. Akara is usually prepared for events like Pulnado (event held due to the birth of a child), a wedding, funeral, or party. No matter how big the occasion, this item is a classic in the Sierra Leonean community.


In Brazil

Acarajé sold on the street in Brazil are variously made with fried beef, mutton, dried
shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
, pigweed, fufu osun sauce, and coconut. Today in Bahia, Brazil, most street vendors who serve acarajé are women, easily recognizable by their all-white cotton dresses and headscarves and caps. They first appeared in Bahia selling acarajé in the 19th century. Earnings from the sale of acarajé were used both to buy the freedom of enslaved family members until the abolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888; its sale additionally served as a source of family income. The city now has more than 500 acarajé vendors. The image of these women, often simply called ''baianas'', frequently appears in artwork from the region of Bahia. Acarajé, however, is available outside of the state of Bahia as well, including the streets of its neighborboring state of Sergipe, and the markets of Rio de Janeiro.


In Candomblé

Acarajé is an essential ritual food used in Afro-Brazilian religious traditions such as
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 ...
. The first acarajé in a Candomblé ritual is offered to 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. ...
Exu. They vary in size based on their offering to a specific deity: large, round acarajé are offered to
Xangô Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaafi ...
; ones smaller in form are offered to Iansã. Small, fritter-size acarajé are offered to Erês, or child spirits. Acarajé is used in Candomblé rituals in the states of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, and Maranhão. It is closely related to
acaçá Acaçá (from Yoruba language, Yoruba: àkàsà, also known as ẹ̀kọ) is a ritual food central to ceremonies of Afro-Brazilian religions, specifically to Candomblé rituals. It is found in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Sul, ...
, a similar ritual food made of steamed corn mush.


Acarajé de azeite-doce

Acarajé de azeite-doce is a variety of acarajé fried in an oil other than palm oil; olive oil or other vegetable oils are generally used. Acarajé de azeite-doce is used in Candomblé offerings to orixás with a ritual prohibition of the use of palm oil. This variety is found in the states of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro.


Acarajé de Xangô (Sango)

Acarajé de Xangô (Àkàrà tí Ṣangó) is a variety of acarajé offered to the orixá Xangô, known as the òriṣà Ṣangó in the Yoruba culture. It is made of the same ingredients as the common form but greatly elongated. This variety is found on the ritual platter of amalá offered to Xangô. This variety is found in the states of Bahia and states of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro.


Protected status

Acarajé was listed as a federal immaterial asset (''patrimônio nacional imaterial''), by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage in 2004; the role of ''baianas'' in the preparation and sale of acarajé was recognized in the same act.


Nutrition

Akara is a good source of proteins, vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc, although its nutritional value is usually reduced by the presence of antinutritional factors such as
phytates Phytic acid is a six-fold phosphate, dihydrogenphosphate ester of inositol (specifically, of the ''myo'' isomer), also called inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) or inositol polyphosphate. At physiological pH, the phosphates are partially ionized, re ...
, fibers, lectins, polyphenols and tannins that affect minerals' bioavailability.


In popular culture

Akara (acarajé) was featured on the Netflix TV series, '' Street Food'' volume 2, which focused on Latin American street foods.


See also

* * * Tempura - Category of savoury fried snacks from Japan * * * * * *


References


External links


Recipe for Nigerian Chin Chin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acaraje Brazilian cuisine Nigerian cuisine Legume dishes Ceremonial food and drink Vegan cuisine Beninese cuisine Street food Ghanaian cuisine Brazil–Nigeria relations Yoruba cuisine Candomblé Fritters