Podocnemis expansa
After almost thirty years of prohibition, the creation and commercialization of turtle meat was approved by Ibama (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) in 1996, but it can only be sold by farms certified by this institution. The breast and the loin, with a milder flavor, are used to make stews, casseroles and farofas (seasoned manioc flour); the cooking broth is mixed with manioc flour to make the pirão. Besides the Arrau turtle (P. expansa), the farming of scorpion mud turtles (Kinosternon scorpioide), calledmuçuã in Portuguese, have also been approved and certified by Ibama. In Pará, Casquinha de muçuã, served in the animal’s carapace, is a popular dish.
