Tucupi

After being separated from the starch, which settles on the bottom of the recipient, the yellowish juice extracted from mandioca-brava (manioc, the poisonous variety) is fermented, cooked, and seasoned with pimenta-de-cheiro and culantro to become an ingredient used in a number of recipes from the North region. Two of the most famous are Tacacá, a soup-like concoction served in a gourd, with dried shrimp and para cress, ubiquitous all over the Amazon, and Pato no tucupi, roast duck cooked in tucupi, a specialty of Pará. Fish also pairs well with tucupi’s acidic flavor. Tucupi can be considered one of the greatest gifts provided by manioc, second only to manioc flour.