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 recipe based on salt water fish stew in coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, garlic, coriander and some palm oil (dendê). Slowly cooked in a terra cotta casserole optionally serve with prawns and choosing by preference a mix of boneless fish species like small shark, sword fish, etc.

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

Brazilians have been making moqueca for at least 300 years.

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 can be used in the northern parts of the state, 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, coriander, chives, and olive oil. It is usually accompanied by pirão, which is the paste made with yuca root flour ("farinha de mandioca") and the gravy from the stew.

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.

See also

• List of Brazilian dishes
• List of casserole dishes
• List of stews