Carimã Flour

THOSE WHO LOOK UP the definition of carimã in Portuguese dictionaries may get confused: fine, dry manioc flour; a porridge-like concoction; a cake made with grated, fermented manioc. Câmara Cascudo, in História da alimentação no Brasil (History of Food in Brazil), explains: “it is the same flour known as farinha d ́água, ‘puba’ manioc flour, and also ‘soft manioc’.” In the North and Northeast regions, grated manioc is left to ferment and transformed into a flour (carimã flour), used to prepare porridges and classic Northern confections, such as the Amazon-style Pé de moleque (with coconut milk and Brazil nut, baked wrapped in banana leaves) and Souza Leão cake (custard-like cake made with coconut milk).