Local cuisine in Salvador is as fun as it is traditional. From the simplest to the most sophisticated dishes, each one contains the historic identity of the capital city in Bahia. Visitors will love them.

When in Salvador, it is a tradition to have the popular acarajé. This fritter can be enjoyed by tourists right there on the city streets directly from the street-side tables (called tabuleiros) of the baianas (local women wearing traditional clothing). The fritter is a well-seasoned dough made with black-eyed peas, which is then fried in palm oil. Fillings include dried shrimp, caruru (okra, shrimps, onions, and toasted nuts cooked in palm oil), salad, vatapá (seafood stew made of bread, shrimp, coconut milk, finely ground peanuts, and palm oil), and hot sauce. And wherever there is some acarajé, there is usually some abará as well. Containing very similar dough to the Acarajé, Abará is a dish that consists of black-eyed peas mashed into a paste, mixed with dried shrimp, grated onions, and palm oil, and then wrapped and steamed in a banana leaf. 

If you are into sweets and desserts, something else that you will be able to get from the baianas is the cocada (a coconut sweet)! Cocadas can be made in several different ways and have many different flavors, but they usually contain ingredients such as condensed milk, cinnamon, and, obviously, grated coconut. 

Moqueca Baiana (A typical seafood stew from Bahia) is another iconic dish in the city. Usually cooked in a clay stew pot, the dish can be prepared in different ways. It generally includes fish, shrimp and/or other types of seafood, palm oil, coconut milk, and lots of seasoning. This dish is simply unforgettable. It is normally served with a side of fried rice and farofa (a toasted cassava flour mixture, cooked in butter or palm oil). 

But there is more to the local cuisine in Salvador than seafood and baiana street-side tables. When in the city, make sure you try dishes such as xinxim de galinha (a typical chicken stew) and arroz de polvo (fried rice with octopus). And if you visit the neighborhood of Pelourinho, in the city’s historic center, you must try some of the traditional cachaças (distilled spirits made from fermented sugarcane juice). 

Last but not least, don’t forget to try some pãozinho delícia (a delicious bread roll). Very popular in the region, It is a type of fluffy dinner roll whose ingredients include bread flour, yeast, sugar, milk, eggs, salt, vegetable oil, and margarine. Some recipes even include condensed milk. It is truly delicious, hence the name. 

The local dishes in the state of Bahia have intense flavor and wonderful texture, symbolizing the cheerful spirit of its people. In order to truly get to know the local customs and traditions, one must indulge in the delicious local cuisine. So, the next time you are in Salvador, allow yourself to do just that.