86 MAY 2019
brazil
BAHIA, A STATE IN EASTERN BRAZIL, encapsulates the country’s
confluence of flavors, simmering together the region’s African and
Portuguese heritages with indigenous ingredients and maritime
bounty. Of all its inimitable dishes (and there are many, like
acarajé, deep-fried black-eyed-pea patties stuffed with shrimp),
I salivate the most for moqueca, a golden stew of coconut, palm
oil, and tomato simmered with seafood in a clay casserole. It’s
one of those dishes that defies logic: It’s perfect on a summer
afternoon, even though it will make you sweat with its spice
and temperature, and it soothes like a childhood memory, even
when you taste it for the first time.
A road trip with Bahian friends took me from the state’s
Baroque capital of Salvador along a 200-mile highway, called
the “Green Line” for its lushness. Travelling without an
itinerary, we stopped at nameless beaches, jumping into the blue
sea and napping under coconut trees. If there was a barraca,
a beach snack bar, we downed passion fruit caipirinhas with
grilled coalho cheese.
I hoped to see sea turtles, which lay eggs in the golden dunes
of Bahia and always return to the very spot where they were
born. Even from a distance, I wanted to spy on the hatchlings
in the wild. But alas, we found no turtles anywhere. (Under-
standably, this vulnerable species is wary.) On my way back to
the airport, we made a final stop at an outdoor restaurant in an
otherwise unremarkable village. Under the canopy of mango
trees, my friends and I tucked into moqueca one last time before
my flight home. This comfort dish was the best consolation for
failing my mission. And like those reptilian wanderers, I knew
I’d be back in Bahia someday. —CHANEY KWAK
An Ode to bahia’s
MOQUECA
STAY
Explore Bahia from the secluded
beach town of Trancoso, which
counts Beyoncé among its fans.
The heart of the scene is Uxua
Casa Hotel & Spa, a cluster of
restored casas that grounds your
stay with top-flight food, drink, and
connection to local art and culture.
(Rooms from $519; uxua.com)
BAHIA
Moqueca
(Brazilian Seafood
Stew)
P. 113
