The local cuisine in Fortaleza, in which seafood is such a popular ingredient, combines Brazilian flavors and family traditions. Dishes such as the local “moqueca” are an excellent opportunity to learn about the culture and customs of Ceará.

Local dishes such as peixada (fish stew), as well as shrimp stew with garlic and oil, boiled crabs, breaded crab legs, and crab cakes are usually the favorites among visitors. The best part is that most of the ingredients are found in local fisheries, which means that they are extremely fresh. Is your mouth watering yet?

Manioc, or cassava, is called macaxeira in Fortaleza. It is the symbol of local cuisine and an important product for local agriculture. The macaxeira is the perfect side dish to many traditional main dishes. Other common sides include sweet potatoes and coconut, also produced on a very large scale in the state. As for the combination of rice and beans, which is so popular all over the country, Ceará used it to develop a local dish called baião-de-dois. It is a mixture of rice and black-eyed peas that is usually served with butter, coalho cheese (Brazilian curd cheese), and paçoca (toasted cassava flour mixed with sun-dried beef). 

And there is more! Corn is an important ingredient in the state of Ceará and brings versatility to many delicious local dishes, such as sweet corn cake, couscous, mugunzá (a type of porridge), canjica (a sweet corn pudding), and pamonha (corn paste wrapped in corn husks). Sugarcane juice is also used as an ingredient for several products, such as rapadura (a hard brown-sugar sweet) and cachaça (local distilled spirit), or it can simply be enjoyed as a simple and delicious juice. When in Fortaleza, visitors must try all of them as well as other delicious options such pé-de-moleque (a local peanut brittle), panelada (beef offal stew), buchada (goat offal stew), and sarapatel (pork offal stew). 

With options for everyone, the quality of the local cuisine in Fortaleza is unquestionable. Whether they have a sweet tooth or prefer savoury dishes, tourists will fall in love with the food in Ceará. Let us remind you, in case you are planning your next trip, that these delicious dishes are just a short flight away! Come enjoy all that Ceará has to offer!