Brazilian · soup

Tacacá

Tacacá reads citrus 6.4, sourness 5.8 and salinity 5.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Brazilian soup, about 1 hr 2 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 6.4 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 1.4 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 8.1 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 0.8 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 1.4 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Citrus 6.4 · Sourness 5.8 · Salinity 5.3 · Umami 4.6 · Marine & Briny 4.6 · Allium 4.5 · Funk & Ferment 2.2 · Richness 1.4 · Fruity 1.1 · Warm Spice 1.0 · Sweetness 1.0 · Herbaceous 0.9 · Heat 0.7 · Floral 0.7 · Bitterness 0.7 · Earthy 0.6

What's in it (11)

• tucupi — 1500 g
• tapioca — 120 g
• cold water — 400 g
• camarão seco — 150 g
• jambu leaves and stems — 150 g
• garlic — 24 g
• chicória do pará — 15 g
• alfavaca — 8 g
• pimentas de cheiro — 25 g
• salt — 10 g
• lime — 60 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 2 min (42 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 5 kcal, 0.1 g protein, 0 g fat, 1.3 g carbs

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

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Tacacá is drunk, not eaten, from a painted gourd called a cuia, standing at a street stall in Belém in the late afternoon. It is one of the few Brazilian dishes that is entirely Amerindian in construction, and two of its ingredients do things nothing else does.
2. Tucupi is the liquid pressed from grated wild manioc, which is poisonous raw — it carries cyanogenic glycosides — and is made safe by fermenting and then boiling it hard. Buy it frozen from an Amazonian or Brazilian supplier, and boil it as directed below. Do not improvise a substitute and do not shorten the boil.
3. Bring the tucupi to a rolling boil with the garlic, chicória, alfavaca, whole pimentas de cheiro and half the salt, then lower it and simmer 30 minutes, uncovered. Fish out the herbs and the chillies and keep them aside; the chillies go back into the cuia whole for whoever wants them.
4. Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 20 minutes to draw out some salt, then drain. They keep their shells and heads on in Belém and are eaten whole with the fingers.
5. Slake the tapioca starch in the cold water and let it stand 15 minutes, then pour off the clear water on top and whisk what remains into 800 ml of fresh water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 6 minutes, until it turns from milky white to clear grey and thickens to a loose, glossy, slightly stretchy gel. Season it with the remaining salt.
6. Blanch the jambu in the simmering tucupi for 2 minutes. Jambu contains spilanthol and it makes your lips and tongue buzz and go numb, in the same family of sensation as Sichuan pepper — this is the point of tacacá, not a fault, and the tingle should still be there when you drink it.
7. Assemble in the cuia, in this order: a ladle of the tapioca gel first, then the hot tucupi poured over it, then a tangle of jambu, then the shrimp on top. Serve scalding, with lime and the whole chillies alongside, and drink it from the bowl.
8. Substitutions: 8 sprigs cilantro with the roots can stand in for the chicória do Pará.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Greek-Style Grilled Tuna Steaks with Lemon-Oregano Oil — Greek
• Thai Sweet Chili Shrimp Skewers — Thai
• Shrimp and Poblano Tacos with Lime Crema — Mexican
• Marinated Tuna On Daikon — Japanese
• Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato — Portuguese

Keep reading: what citrus, sourness, salinity 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.