Awesome Things to Eat in Bahia

And yes, I have eaten all of these things. The food is very rich, very delicious, usually very affordable. I've eaten Bahian food every day, for every meal, just about, and I am not remotely sick of it and do not have a hankering for ANYTHING from back home.

Acai na tigela: acai is a huge amazonian blueberry-like fruit that they serve freezing cold, in a bowl, with granola and bananas. I ate it for breakfast, but they eat it all day long. Very refreshing and nutritious (although they load it with sugar, so who knows?)

Empada: I love anything in a crust. Uma empada is anything in a crust. They are a bit dry, but I like them that way. Besides, the brazilians seem to like slathering it with ketchup and/or mayo, which is just gross in any country.

Coxinha: A fist-sized teardrop-shaped fried thing stuffed with (dry) chicken.

Acaraje and abara: Black-eyed pea mash, fried (acaraje, the better of the two) or boiled (abara), served by a Baian women in traditional white dress and turban. They split it up the middle, and fill it with vatapa, a shrimp and dende-oil paste. They cost anywhere from 1 to 4 reals, depending on the neighborhood and if you want it com or sem shrimp. Order it spicy (picante) or not. note: The shrimp are heads-off but shells-on, which horrified the young brit at the hostel. He couldn't imagine why anyone would eat shells, as pulling the shells off the shrimp was the whole point of it all. Silly boy.

Sorvete: Brazilian ice cream. My personal opinion: the hierarchy of ice cream goes something like this: Italian gelato is the big winner, with Spanish gelado coming in a close second. Brazilian ice cream is a tie with Argentine, depending on whether you prefer exotic fruits (Brazil) or crazy dulce de leche flavors (argentina.) American ice cream lags far behind, unless you consider Chinatown ice cream factory ice cream. Flavors I've had: milho verde (sweet corn. It's buttery!), coco, graviola (also known as soursop or guanabana), maracuja (passionfruit, the brazilian passion), banana carmelada, amendoim crocante (chunky peanut butter,) the ubiquitous tiramisu. My favorite to try was cupuacu, some Brazilian fruit Sean didn't like, but told me I had to try it. I asked for it at the ice-cream place, and the asked "Are you sure? You should try it first." He was right. It was odd.

Comida a kilo: You know those buffets they have by the pound in Korean delis? Same thing, except in a restaurant. And all the food is Brazilian. Costs anywhere from 1.30 per 100 grams and up, depending on the day and the neighborhood. My favorite way to eat here. Fast, cheap, and you can have a little of this, a little of that... Perfect for the harried or the indecisive. Oh, you weigh it first, then you eat (don't lose the ticket!!) then you pay. Weird. There's one called O Quilombo on Avenide Sete de Setembro that's pretty good and one called "Komida a Kilo" on Largo de Carmo (right around the corner from my hostel) that is good, cheap, and has a couple of tables overlooking the bay.

Stuff from the corn cart: All over, there are guys selling corn (milho) from a cart. They sell ears of corn, sweet and delicious I've heard, except that I can't eat corn on the cob because of my fake tooth. Also from the cart, there are two types of corn product. One looks like a tamale, it's a sweet corn pudding wrapped in a corn husk. The other is some corn-flavored tapicoa (?) thing, chewier in texture, wrapped in a banana leaf. Both are delicious. I have no idea what they're called. They'll ask you if you want it for now (agora), in which case they'll slice it open for you.

Dessert: Eat it. Whatever it is, it is bound to be good. Budim (flan) made wither from milk or from sweet corn. Moist cakes made from tapioca, covered with sweetened condensed milk. Casadinhos are balls made of two kinds of sweetened condensed milk, condensed further, rolled in sugar. Get the smallest one possible. They're tooth-rotting sweet. Sonhos (Donuts) the size of sandwiches. Share with a friend. Or make one.