Chefs from Pará can use muçuã turtle in cooking – 12/06/2023 – Food

Two chefs from Pará will open in December the first breeding sites for gastronomic purposes of muçuã, an Amazonian turtle that is threatened with extinction. The initiative is part of the animal protection system created by Embrapa, which manages eight other aquaterrariums in Pará.

Despite being part of the food culture of traditional communities in the region, the turtle is not found legally in restaurants —It is a crime to sell it. The conservation center, if successful, should pave the way for the legalization of the delicacy.

The initiative arose from studies with traditional communities on Marajó Island, says José Ribamar Marques, a researcher at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental who created the project. The Secretariat of the Environment of Pará, Federal Rural University of Amazônia, UFRA, and Federal University of Pará, UFPA also participated in the design.

Although it is not known how many muçuãs exist in nature, riverside collectors have noticed a drop in the number of animals. In the past, they captured 80 bags of 300 units each; now there are only about ten.

“One of the main reasons is disordered hunting,” says the researcher.

The smallest chelon in the Amazon, the muçuã is a 15 cm semi-aquatic turtle that lives on the banks of rivers or lakes. Females produce up to four eggs per breeding period.

With the risk of disappearance, state supervision began to be more rigorous with its commercialization, but this did not prevent clandestine sales. The animal began to be transported hidden at the bottom of ferries, an irregular situation with terrible living conditions.

The solution, says the researcher, involves breeding sites that protect the animal’s reproduction, but also allow it to be sold as a pet or gastronomic ingredient. In this system, the region’s residents must be protagonists.

“The project will be an income and employment asset that, by inserting the Amazon into the chelonian production chain, prevents illegal harvesting”, he states.

According to Ibama, since 2011, due to complementary law nº 140/2011, it is up to the states to authorize wildlife breeding sites. In the case of Pará, authorization comes from the Department of the Environment, which must also participate in the inspection of breeding sites.

In December, the muçuã protection center begins activities with 599 specimens — the majority of which are female. In the aquaterrarium plan, there are dedicated spaces for reproduction, nursery and slaughter.

Only surplus males will be used as food. When adults, they weigh an average of 400 g, of which only 180 g are meat. In controlled breeding, muçuãs can weigh up to 800 g, with a higher protein yield.

To avoid suffering during slaughter, animals must be placed in ice-cold water for 1 hour, which slows down their metabolism. Now pain free, the turtles are frozen for 3 hours. Only then can they be cut and boiled.

Delano Souza, from the city of Salvaterra (PA), on the island of Marajó, is one of the chefs involved in the project. A former oil worker, he runs a gastronomic space for events and festivals. All food used comes from our own farm, which produces pineapple, cassava, chickens, ducks, buffaloes, pigs, and now, muçuã.

The invitation to become a conservationist producer came from Marques, from Embrapa, 3 years ago. Like many people from Pará, Souza remembers muçuã as a childhood food. That’s why he wanted to participate in the initiative.

“The chelonian has always been present here, but there was no concern about conservation”, explains the chef. “I am involved in the project to increase the number of the species, always with respect, technical knowledge and in a responsible manner.”

Since meat production must still be small, the chef intends to use muçuã in a tasting menu, as an ingredient in Amazonian haute cuisine. For the same reason, the price should not be affordable at the beginning.

Souza wants to use muçuã in classic recipes such as minced meat, ground on the tip of a knife, or in more original dishes, combined with jambu or mixed with tucupi.

In addition to the tasting, anyone who goes to the chef’s space will participate in an experience in the breeding grounds to understand how conservation aquaterrariums work.

But meat production by commercial conservation farms should only start at the end of 2024. “The project is just beginning”, says the chef. “We are the pioneers, but we will be multipliers of the conservation model.”

Paulo Anijar, who runs the Santa Chicória restaurant, in Belém, is another conservationist producer, who encouraged the project since its beginning. The chef, who sees muçuã as a delicacy with a unique flavor, states that he will use the meat in a traditional way, with seasonings that enhance its flavor even more.

One of the most traditional dishes with the animal is the muçuã casquinho, when the meat is served inside the shell itself.

Anijar says that his main motivation is to reintroduce the species for consumption in an appropriate way. “With the breeding site, I want to raise awareness of the beloved chelonian’s worshippers,” he says.