Tacacá reaches peak number of searches on Google; see recipe – 11/03/2023 – Food

“I’m going to have a tacacá.” If you use social media every day, you may have seen a random video being rocked by this chorus of the song “Voando Pro Pará” by singer Joelma.

Data from Google Trends shows that, due to the meme, the dish from Pará reached a peak in search interest in October since 2004, the year in which the platform’s historical series began.

The song was released in 2016, but it only went viral now. On Spotify, there are 7.13 million reproductions, making it Joelma’s most popular song there. On TikTok, the hashtags #tacacá, #voutomarumtacaca and #tacacajoelma have 26.2 million views.

According to TikTok, songs from different eras and styles are gaining new relevance and gaining a wider audience due to their success on the app. In addition to “Voando Pro Pará”, another song that became a trend was the song “Vai, Vai Muuuu”, by Rick and Renner, from 2007.

Irís Leite, owner of the Quintal Paraense restaurant, located in the north of São Paulo, says that she receives curious customers who want to try the most requested dish on the menu, and many of them arrive singing the song.

Beyond the meme, what is a tacacá?

It is a typical dish from Pará and Amazonian cuisine, also appreciated in other states such as Roraima and Manaus. It is considered a hot drink, a type of soup, to be consumed even on very hot days and without using cutlery.

“[O prato] It comes with dried shrimp inside, cooked jambu, pepper and cassava starch. It all comes in one gourd. We eat it there in the late afternoon or early evening and it’s a complete meal”, says presenter and chef from Pará Thiago Castanho.

Historically, tacacá was sold by tacacazeiras, who have a day dedicated to them, celebrated on September 13th. Furthermore, these vendors are recognized as cultural heritage of the city of Belém.

But it is no longer something done just by them, the knowledge involved in preparing tacacá has been passed on between generations. Aldrin de Figueiredo, professor at UFPA (Federal University of Pará) and director of the Historical and Geographic Institute of Pará, says that today the delicacy is also made by men.

For the people of Pará, tacacá is a symbol of street food and is found in stalls, each with its own seasoning. “Each person in Belém, for example, selects their favorite tent”, says Castanho.

For Leite, tacacá is like São Paulo’s hot dog.

The way the dish is made may change depending on the location. According to Castanho, in Santarém (PA), tacacá is made with freshwater shrimp, while in Belém, the shrimp comes from saltwater. Additionally, there are places that swap shrimp for crab.

The flavor may also be different depending on the region, especially due to tucupi, one of the ingredients in the recipe. “The tacacá from Belém is a little more sour due to the fermentation of the tucupi, whereas in the Amazon, you will find a sweeter tucupi”, says Figueiredo.

One of the specificities of the dish is the sensation of cushioning in the mouth. This happens because of the jambu which, combined with the flavor of pepper, brings a dish full of sensations.

For Figueiredo, these sensations provide a refreshing heat, something that is even mentioned in the literature about the dish. “There, on the street, under the shade of a tree, it ends up becoming a field of sensory experiences.”

For this reason, Leite recommends that when taking tacacá for the first time you need to have an open mind. “You’re either going to love it or you’re going to hate it because there’s no in between. It’s a different thing.”

tacacá recipe

Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 500 g dried headless shrimp, with shell and tail

• 500 g of cassava gum

Preparation

• Soak the shrimp in plenty of cold water for four hours. Drain

• Cook in a pan with plenty of boiling water for three minutes. Remove from the water and set aside

• Use the same shrimp water to blanch the jambu leaves for two minutes. Remove the leaves from the hot water and immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Drain and reserve

• In a bowl, mix the cassava gum with 300 ml of cold water

• Heat 400 ml of water in a pan until it boils. Gradually add the starch and water mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming. At first, you can use a wire whisk, but once it thickens, it’s best to use a wooden spoon. Cook for five minutes, until the mixture is transparent and very thick.

• In another pan, place the tucupi, pará chicory, garlic, basil, chili pepper and pará cumari. Season with salt to taste and cook for five minutes

• In a gourd, place a spoonful of the gome mixture, and then a ladle of tucupi. Arrange some prawns and some jambu on top and serve hot.

Recipe by chef Thiago Castanho published in his book, “Origin Cuisine – Traditional Brazilian Dishes Revisited” (Publifolha, 2014)

Joelma published a video on TikTok teaching how to make a tacacá and wrote that it is made the “way” she usually prepares it.