Amazonian cuisine

Amazonian cuisine refers to the foods and cooking techniques of the many groups living in the Amazon jungle across South America, along with the dishes they have introduced to surrounding regions. In Brazil, a dish called maniçoba combines meat, sausage, manioc, and kale or collard greens (couve). Freshwater fish are central to the diet, including large species like pirarucu (the world's largest freshwater fish) and tambaqui, as well as smaller ones such as surubim, curimatã, jaraqui, acari, and tucunaré. These fish are often grilled or fried. When pickled or marinated in vinegar, the dish is called escabeche; they may also be cooked in coconut milk or stewed in tucupi, a sauce made from fermented manioc juices. Tacacá is a shrimp soup, and vatapá is a seafood dish from Bahia. Manioc, a starchy root, is a staple, along with fruits used for juices and ice creams, including acerola, graviola, fruta de conde (also called ata or sugar-apple), and cupuaçu. Açai is becoming widely known, and juices come from trees like taperebá and palms such as buriti and bacaba, as well as the tree fruit bacuri (Platonia insignis). Brazil nuts are now popular globally, and guarana is a common ingredient in energy drinks.

In Peru, juane is a well-known dish from the jungle, especially eaten during the Feast of San Juan on June 24. Named after Saint John the Baptist, it may have pre-Columbian roots; after the Spanish arrived, missionaries spread the biblical story of Salome, John, and Herodias, and some link the dish's name to the reference to John's head. Another Peruvian jungle dish is tacacho, made from fried plantain slices mashed with chicharones (fried pork fat), often served with chorizo. It is typical of Iquitos and the Peruvian Amazon, and is now common across the country. The word tacacho comes from the Quechua term *taka chu*, meaning beaten. How it is eaten varies by region: in Madre de Dios and San Martín, it is often a breakfast food, while elsewhere it is served at lunch or dinner. In San Martín, tacacho is part of Christmas dinner. In Ecuador's Amazon region, a similar dish is called bolon, and in the Caribbean, it is known as mofongo. Peruvian chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffano has worked to showcase Amazonian cuisine and its ingredients at his restaurant.