Piauí at the Table: Carne de Sol, Sarrabulho & River Fish
Teresina's food reflects the meeting of the sertão's drying culture, the riverine fish tradition, and the cerrado's babaçu economy — among the most distinctive regional cuisines in Brazil
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Carne de Sol
The sun-dried, lightly salted beef of the northeastern hinterland is Teresina's most iconic ingredient — consumed grilled, stewed or shredded, the carne de sol's intense flavor defines the sertão table
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Sarrabulho Piauiense
Sarrabulho - a slow-cooked stew of offal, blood and spices - is Piauí's most distinctive dish; an acquired taste that sets visitors apart, it is deeply embedded in the region's food culture and festive cooking
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Arroz de Cuxá
Rice cooked with vinagreira (Hibiscus sabdariffa) leaves and toasted sesame — cuxá is Maranhão's iconic dish that has spread across northern Piauí; the tart, earthy combination is one of Brazil's most distinctive regional flavors
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Babaçu Oil Cooking
Babaçu palm oil – extracted by traditional hand crushing of the nut – has a distinctive mild flavor used in Piauí's traditional cooking; the oil is both a food and an artisanal beauty product
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Paçoca de Pilão
Punched dried meat mixed with cassava flour — paçoca — is the portable food of the northeastern interior; the coarse, flavorful mix, eaten dry, is the sertão equivalent of trail mix and the most practical food in the caatinga region
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Murici and Bacuri fruits
Murici and bacuri — the indigenous cerrado caatinga fruits of Piauí — make intensely flavored juices and ice creams in Teresina; bacuri's creamy custard-like flesh is particularly prized and the ice cream made from it is extraordinary