black eyed pea Akara

Akara (Brazil-Acaraje)
Acaraje-Baiana.jpg
Acarajé in Salvador, Brazil

Alternative names Akara
Course Street-food
Place of origin West Africa

Main ingredients Black eyed peas, deep-fried in dendê (palm oil)

 Cookbook: Akara (Brazil-Acaraje)
   Media: Akara (Brazil-Acaraje)
Acarajé (Portuguese pronunciation: [akaɾaˈʒɛ  ]

(About this soundlisten)) or (Yoruba: àkàrà) is a dish made from peeled beans formed into a ball and then deep-fried in dendê (palm oil). It is found in West African and Brazilian cuisines. The dish is traditionally encountered in Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia, especially in the city of Salvador.

Acarajé serves as both a religious offering to the gods in the Candomblé religion and as street food.

[1] The dish was brought by slaves from West Africa, and can be found in various forms in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Mali, Gambia and Sierra Leone.

It is served split in half and stuffed with vatapá and caruru – spicy pastes made from shrimp, ground cashews, palm oil and other ingredients.

 A vegetarian version is typically served with hot peppers and green tomatoes.

 Acarajé can also come in a second form called abara, where the ingredients are boiled instead of deep fried.