Moqueca
| Type | Stew |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Brazil |
| Main ingredients | Seafood, fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro |
| Variations | Moqueca baiana |
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| Part of a series on |
| Brazilian cuisine |
|---|
| Types of food |
| See also |
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Moqueca (IPA: [moˈkɛkɐ] or IPA: [muˈkɛkɐ] depending on the dialect, also spelled muqueca) is a Brazilian recipe based on salt water fish stew, tomatoes, onions, garlic and coriander. It is slowly cooked in a terra cotta casserole, optionally served with prawns, and includes by preference a mix of boneless fish species, like small shark, swordfish, etc.
Originally from Espírito Santo in the Southeast of Brazil, also coming from the state of Bahia in the Northeast; nowadays, this dish is found in two variants: moqueca bahiana from Bahia and moqueca capixaba from Espírito Santo.
Brazilians have been making moqueca for at least 300 years.
Moqueca capixaba
Moqueca capixaba is native to the state of Espírito Santo and influenced by Native Brazilian mixed with Portuguese cuisine. It is considered a softer and tenderer version of moqueca. The healthier extra virgin Olive oil is used instead of palm oil (as in the Bahian version). Urucum pigment is added, and it is always cooked in a traditional clay pan. Moqueca capixaba can be made with fish, shrimp, crabs, sea crab or lobsters. There is a rare variety made with raw bananas, as a side plate. The dish is usually seasoned with onion, tomatoes, coriander, chives, and olive oil. It is usually accompanied by pirão,[1] which is the paste made with yuca root flour ("farinha de mandioca") and the gravy from the stew.
The capixaba pan
Capixaba pans are made with black clay and mangrove tree sap. After being shaped and fired, sap is re-applied. This blackens the clay and makes it water resistant. The pan must be seasoned with oil a couple of times before use.
This typical dish is very important to Vitória, and the city is home to a grassroots organization of pan-makers known as As Paneleiras.