Brazilian · main

Pato no Tucupi

Pato no Tucupi reads richness 8.1, umami 7.0 and citrus 5.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Brazilian main, about 4 hr 5 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.5 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 1.5 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 6.5 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.2 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 8.2 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.9 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 8.1 · Umami 7.0 · Citrus 5.2 · Allium 4.6 · Sourness 4.6 · Salinity 4.2 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Sweetness 1.2 · Bitterness 1.1 · Fruity 1.0 · Funk & Ferment 1.0 · Heat 0.8 · Herbaceous 0.8 · Floral 0.7 · Earthy 0.5

What's in it (12)

• duck — 2200 g
• tucupi — 2000 g
• jambu leaves and stems — 300 g
• garlic — 40 g
• limes — 120 g
• chicória do pará — 20 g
• alfavaca — 10 g
• pimentas de cheiro — 25 g
• onion — 160 g
• salt — 15 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 5 g
• oil — 27 g

Time & effort: about 4 hr 5 min (2 hr 5 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 188.7 kcal, 5.2 g protein, 18.1 g fat, 0.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. This is the dish of the Círio de Nazaré, Belém's October procession, and half a million people eat it in one weekend. It is duck cooked twice: roasted for colour, then simmered in tucupi until the broth tastes of the bird.
2. Rub the duck pieces with the minced garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper and leave them 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Boil the tucupi hard for 10 minutes with the crushed garlic, onion, chicória, alfavaca and the 2 whole pimentas de cheiro, then lower it to a simmer for 20 minutes more. The hard boil is a safety step, not a flavour one: tucupi is pressed from wild manioc, which contains cyanogenic compounds, and it is fermentation plus boiling that makes it safe. There is no substitute and no shortcut — buy it frozen from a Brazilian or Amazonian supplier.
4. Meanwhile heat the oil in a heavy roasting pan and brown the duck pieces skin-side down over medium-high heat until the fat renders out and the skin is deep brown, about 10 minutes, then turn them and roast at 200 C for 25 minutes. Pour off the rendered fat and keep it for another day.
5. Transfer the browned duck into the simmering tucupi, cover loosely and cook 50 to 60 minutes at a low bubble, until the meat gives at the joint but has not fallen apart. Skim the fat that rises.
6. Blanch the jambu separately in a ladleful of the broth for 3 minutes, until it wilts and the stems soften. Taste a leaf — the tingling numbness in your lips is spilanthol and it is meant to be there.
7. Serve each portion of duck in a deep bowl with plenty of tucupi, a nest of jambu, the sliced pimenta de cheiro for those who want heat, and white rice and farinha alongside. Nothing about the broth should be thickened; it is drunk from the bowl at the end.
8. Substitutions: cilantro with its roots can stand in for the chicória do Pará.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Skillet Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Pan Sauce — American
• Iskembe Corbasi (Tripe Soup) — Turkish
• Grilled Skirt Steak with Garlic Butter — American
• Veal Piccata — Italian-American
• Lamb Kleftiko — Greek

Keep reading: what richness, umami, citrus mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.