Tuesday, July 11, 2006

From Africa to the Americas: Acarajé


One of Bahia's many baianas selling Brasil's famous street food: Acarajé


Acarajé
Is Brasil's most famous street food.
You can also find this deep-fried black eyed peas fritter on the streets of Lagos,Nigeria.
And in Jamaica the very same fritter is referred to by its proper Yoruba name: Akkra.
There is a story behind the reason why Northeastern Brasil's African descendents
call the fritter acarajé.
The street vendors used to sing a song to attract customers.
The song urged people to "come and eat acara."
The yoruba word for eat is: jé.
Eventually the fritter's name was corrupted
into the present: Acarajé.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous10:30 AM

    AKARA!! (how igbos say it)

    I ate this all through my early childhood. Mom's give it to thier kids with custard, its the little kid's food of choice like peanut butter and jelly, hahah

    The local name for preschools where I'm from is Ata-Akara (I can't translate it literally but it basically means, Akara-eaters or people who greedily eat akara)

    THANKS! I'm hungry now! Dammit I need to go to Brasil, these similarities are ridiculously uncanny!

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