Acarajé is a west-Africa originated Afro-Brazilian frying and typical dish, whose recipe basis were brought to Brazil by slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries. It mainly consists of a palm oil fried cake made of black-eyed peas and pound shrimp with other Brazilian spices, traditionally filled with the following Afro-Brazilian dishes: Vatapá (the yellow paste inside the Acarajé in the photo bellow), Caruru (the paste inside the pan on the other photo), some of the red and green tomatoes salad we call “vinagrete” and shrimps on top. It’s served either with each filling separated or with all of them inside it, according to the customers order. As regards the name, it comes from the African Yoruba language and it means “to eat fire ball” (Akará = “fire ball” and jé = “to eat”). Besides that, it became really famous in the state of Bahia, precisely in Salvador, its capital city. There it is sold by women called “baianas” or “baiana do acarajé” - an allusion to the state’s name. They wear white big dresses as a homage to the ancient acarajé street sellers in the Portuguese colonial times. The price variates around 7,00 and 20,00 reais (in dolar: 1,40 and 3,99) according to the region, size and fillings (it’s cheaper in Bahia). Furthermore, both Acarajé and the office of “Baiana do Acarajé” are Brazilian imaterial cultural heritage since 2005, as the food and their sellers represent the conservation of Brazilian African roots and its influence over the culture, mostly in Bahia.