Salvador Bahia Food Tour: Acarajé, Moqueca & An Evening in Rio Vermelho
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Salvador, Brazil
Salvador
1N (Participation Duration)
Car,Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/8
0 booked
Tour description
Salvador was Brazil's first capital and the primary port of the transatlantic slave trade, and its cuisine carries the most direct West African influence in the Americas. Dendê palm oil, dried shrimp, okra, ground peanuts, and cashews—these ingredients traveled with people who had no choice in coming here, and what they created here has become Brazil's most distinctive regional cuisine.
At the heart of that cuisine is acarajé: fritters made from black-eyed pea paste, deep-fried in dendê, split open, and stuffed with vatapá—a paste of bread, shrimp, coconut milk, and ground nuts—along with caruru, okra with dried shrimp, and salad. It is sold by baianas dressed in white lace, who are ritually part of the Candomblé religious tradition—acarajé was a sacred food before it became street food, and your guide will explain this thoroughly rather than glossing over it.
We will eat at two renowned stalls in Rio Vermelho, then move on to moqueca—fish or shrimp stewed in coconut milk, dendê, cilantro, and chilies in a clay pot—and finish with cocada and a caipirinha as the square fills with people.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
At the heart of that cuisine is acarajé: fritters made from black-eyed pea paste, deep-fried in dendê, split open, and stuffed with vatapá—a paste of bread, shrimp, coconut milk, and ground nuts—along with caruru, okra with dried shrimp, and salad. It is sold by baianas dressed in white lace, who are ritually part of the Candomblé religious tradition—acarajé was a sacred food before it became street food, and your guide will explain this thoroughly rather than glossing over it.
We will eat at two renowned stalls in Rio Vermelho, then move on to moqueca—fish or shrimp stewed in coconut milk, dendê, cilantro, and chilies in a clay pot—and finish with cocada and a caipirinha as the square fills with people.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
Meeting point:
View on map
Largo da Mariquita, Rio Vermelho, Salvador
We meet at Largo da Mariquita in Rio Vermelho. Your guide will have a small sign with your name. Hotel pick-up from Pelourinho or Barra is included.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Largo da Mariquita: We start where Salvador's acaraje stands are, with your guide on Candomblé, the baianas and why this food is sacred before it is street food.
Stop 2 - Acaraje: Black-eyed pea fritter deep-fried in dendê palm oil, split and filled with vatapá, caruru, dried shrimp and salad, with pepper added at your own risk.
Stop 3 - Abara: The steamed version of the same batter, wrapped in banana leaf rather than fried - milder, and the one most visitors never try.
Stop 4 - Mercado do Peixe: Petiscos and cold beer at the fish market bar strip, with your guide on Bahian seafood.
Stop 5 - Moqueca: Fish or prawns stewed in coconut milk, dendê, coriander, tomato and pepper in a clay pot, with rice, farofa and pirão.
Stop 6 - Cocada and dendê sweets: Coconut cooked with sugar until it sets, in white and burnt-caramel versions, from a street tray.
Stop 7 - Caipirinha: Made with cachaça and lime, or with local fruit, as the square fills up and the music starts.
Stop 2 - Acaraje: Black-eyed pea fritter deep-fried in dendê palm oil, split and filled with vatapá, caruru, dried shrimp and salad, with pepper added at your own risk.
Stop 3 - Abara: The steamed version of the same batter, wrapped in banana leaf rather than fried - milder, and the one most visitors never try.
Stop 4 - Mercado do Peixe: Petiscos and cold beer at the fish market bar strip, with your guide on Bahian seafood.
Stop 5 - Moqueca: Fish or prawns stewed in coconut milk, dendê, coriander, tomato and pepper in a clay pot, with rice, farofa and pirão.
Stop 6 - Cocada and dendê sweets: Coconut cooked with sugar until it sets, in white and burnt-caramel versions, from a street tray.
Stop 7 - Caipirinha: Made with cachaça and lime, or with local fruit, as the square fills up and the music starts.
Tour price includes
• English-speaking local food guide for a small group (maximum 8 guests)
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One caipirinha, beer, or soft drink
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off from Pelourinho or Barra
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the tour
• All taxes and service fees
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One caipirinha, beer, or soft drink
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off from Pelourinho or Barra
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the tour
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pickup and drop-off unless otherwise stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations made within 24 hours are non-refundable. The tour operates rain or shine; Salvador's heaviest rainy season runs from April to July.
Other notes
Runs from Tuesday to Sunday at 16:30. Rio Vermelho is relatively quiet on Mondays and some acarajé stalls do not open.
Allergies, and this is crucial: acarajé, vatapá, and caruru contain dried shrimp, peanuts, and cashews, and everything is fried in dendê palm oil. If anyone in your group has a shellfish or nut allergy, please let us know upon booking—we can make adjustments, but we cannot do so at the last minute.
Safety: travel advisories for northeastern Brazil note that street muggings are relatively common and recommend taking taxis rather than walking through quiet areas after dark. We include hotel transfers for this very reason, we stay within the Largo da Mariquita and Largo de Santana areas, and we do not walk between neighborhoods at night. Pelourinho is best visited during the day.
Drinking water: drink bottled water; we provide it.
The Candomblé calendar affects local business. On February 2nd, the Festa de Iemanjá shuts down all of Rio Vermelho, and the Lavagem do Bonfim in January is another major celebration. Carnival in February essentially halts standard sightseeing in the city for about ten days. We will notify you if your date is affected.
Dietary requirements: please inform us at least 48 hours in advance. A vegetarian route can be arranged, but Bahian cuisine is built around dried shrimp, so some stops will need to be substituted.
Approximately 1.5 km of flat walking, plus shuttle transfers.
Allergies, and this is crucial: acarajé, vatapá, and caruru contain dried shrimp, peanuts, and cashews, and everything is fried in dendê palm oil. If anyone in your group has a shellfish or nut allergy, please let us know upon booking—we can make adjustments, but we cannot do so at the last minute.
Safety: travel advisories for northeastern Brazil note that street muggings are relatively common and recommend taking taxis rather than walking through quiet areas after dark. We include hotel transfers for this very reason, we stay within the Largo da Mariquita and Largo de Santana areas, and we do not walk between neighborhoods at night. Pelourinho is best visited during the day.
Drinking water: drink bottled water; we provide it.
The Candomblé calendar affects local business. On February 2nd, the Festa de Iemanjá shuts down all of Rio Vermelho, and the Lavagem do Bonfim in January is another major celebration. Carnival in February essentially halts standard sightseeing in the city for about ten days. We will notify you if your date is affected.
Dietary requirements: please inform us at least 48 hours in advance. A vegetarian route can be arranged, but Bahian cuisine is built around dried shrimp, so some stops will need to be substituted.
Approximately 1.5 km of flat walking, plus shuttle transfers.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $59 |
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