Peace on Earth and Glory to Moqueca on High

Brazilian food like its music is a fusion of African, European, and Indigenous cultures. In São Paulo you can eat Italian and Japanese food that would grace the tables of Naples and Tokyo, and if you venture into the Amazon you can gorge on barbecued slabs of the highly prized Pirarucu, a fish that looks like it has swum its way out of the age of the dinosaurs. Then there is Moqueca, whose psychedelic  colours and sensual fragrances can be traced back to the shores of west Africa. It was thirty years ago that I first ate the dish. We were in Praia de Forte, Bahia, which before the advent of mass tourism, was a sleepy palm fringed village of small houses and sandy tracks, famous for its stunning beauty, swooping eagles, and nesting turtles that used to lay their eggs on the edge of the beach. It was night-time and the village was dark lit by a few solitary lamps and the moon. The only noise beyond the buzz of insects and invisible scurrying animals was the excited murmur of voices in a small room attached to a modest wattle and daub house. Inside an elderly Black woman dressed in flowing patterned robes placed simmering black earthenware pans on tables. I was about to experience a culinary supernova. Like caipirinhas, everyone has their own way of preparing a moqueca, but there are certain ingredients that are essential. Thick slices of white fish are left to marinate in garlic, salt, and lime juice, whilst onions, peppers, tomatoes, and fresh chilli simmer in the pan. Coconut milk adds a luscious creaminess and then the vital ingredient, dendê, red palm oil. A couple of spoonsful of this pungent and powerful oil gives the stew its distinctive flavour and orange-red hue. Add the fish and for an additional flourish langoustines or lobster. Top with coriander and serve with rice and pirão, a viscous accompaniment made by mixing fish broth with cassava flour. It is not a difficult dish to make, but it is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular things I have ever eaten, and I’ve eaten a lot. Merry Christmas.