Moqueca

Moqueca

Moqueca Baiana
Origin
Place of origin	Brazil
Details
Type	Stew
Main ingredient(s)	Seafood, fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro
Variations	Moqueca capixaba, moqueca baiana

Moqueca (IPA: [moˈkɛkɐ] or IPA: [muˈkɛkɐ] depending on the dialect, also spelled muqueca) is a Brazilian seafood stew based on fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro. It is cooked slowly, with no water added.

Originally from the states of Espírito Santo in the Southeast of Brazil and Bahia; nowadays, this dish is found in two different variants: moqueca capixaba from Espírito Santo, and moqueca baiana from Bahia state in the Northeast region.

Brazilians have been making moqueca for at least 300 years.^{[citation needed]}

Moqueca Capixaba

Moqueca capixaba is native to the state of Espírito Santo and influenced by Native Brazilian cuisine. Olive oil is used instead of palm oil (as in the Bahian version); coconut milk is never used, urucum pigment is added, and it is always cooked in a traditional clay pan. Moqueca capixaba can be made with fish, shrimp, crabs, sea crab or lobsters. There is also a rare variety made with raw bananas. The dish is usually seasoned with onion, tomatoes, cilantro, chives, and olive oil.

The capixaba pan

Capixaba pans are made with black clay and mangrove tree sap. After being shaped and fired, sap is re-applied. This blackens the clay and makes it water resistant. The pan must be seasoned with oil a couple of times before use.

This typical dish is very important to Vitória, and the city is home to a grass roots organization of pan-makers known as As Paneleiras.

Moqueca baiana

The version of Moqueca made in Bahia is influenced by African cuisine. In addition to the basic ingredients, palm oil (dendê), coconut milk, shrimp, or crab are added.

See also

• List of Brazilian dishes