Pato-no-tucupi

History

One Amazon legend called First Water tells us that Jacy (the moon) and Lassytatassu (Dalva star) decided to visit the earth center (Ibiapité) .

One night they left Ibacupuranga (the beautiful sky) and went down to the earth center. When they were about to arrive at the center, CaninanaTyba (snake) bit the white Jacy’s face.Jacy felt pain, and shed bitter tears on a big crop of manioc. Since then, Jacy’s face has never been the same.

The tucupi was created from Jacy’s tears. It is dangerous! It is poisonous! But the oldwomen discovered two ways to get rid of the poison in the tucupi. The first way is to expose the liquid for three days to sun light. The other way is to leave the mixture alone (for approximately one day) to allow the sediment to settle out, after which to boil the liquid for one or two hours.

What is it?

One of the most famous dishes from Belém do Pará, Brazil, Pato-no-tucupi is prepared and appreciated once a year, in an event called Círio de Nazaré, which is considered our Christmas.

Círio without pato-no-tucupi is not Círio. So, the importance of this dish is not only culinary, but also cultural.

Tucupi and jambú are key ingredients that are combined to create a taste incomparable to anything else. Tucupi is a yellow juice extracted from manioc. Since the tucupi is poisonous, it has to be boiled to get rid of the poison. Jambú is one vegetable commonly utilized in Para’s cuisine, known for its taste and for making your lips go numb and tingle.

So, what are you waiting for? Come to visit Belém do Pará to eat this fabulous dish!

Círio de Nazaré: It is a traditional and religious event that has been celebrated in Belém, Pará for over two centuries. It happens on the second Sunday of October. People from different regions of Brazil and even from other countries come here to participate in this event; a million people go out into the streets to follow the image of NossaSenhora de Nazaré, Jesus’s mother.

Ingredients

- One big duck

- Two liters of tucupi

- Six leaves of chicoria (Cichoriumendivia.)

- One spoon of salt

- Leaves of alfavaca (Ocimumamericanum)

- 3 cloves of garlic

Chicória: Vegetable with a strong smell and an incomparable taste, often utilized in certain dishes in Pará, like caldeirada.

Alfavaca: It’s commonly used in Paraensecuisine, but it is also used in the cosmetic industry and in folk medicine.

How you make it

In one little pot with water in the botton of it, cook the duck with one tomato and one chopped onion, colorau, some leaves of alfavaca, chicória and a pinch of salt. Cook until the meat is soft. After, put the duck in the oven to roast on high temperature. After it is finished roasting, quarter the duck.Put it aside. In another pot, boil the tucupi, add chicoria and alfavaca leaves, some cloves of garlic and salt. Put the duck and jambu together. Let this mixture boil for ten minutes. Serve with white rice and farinhad’água .

Colorau: It is a regional spice with a red color, and people from Belém usually use it to spice their foods.

Farinha d´água: It is made from manioc. The manioc is tritured and squeezed. After it is roasted in a big fournace, we can have farinha d´água.