Food & Cuisine in Lencois Maranhenses
Traditional Maranhao food can be quite varied and includes an array of seasonings and tastes. Major influences come from Portuguese, Indian and African foods. In fact, Africa is where much Maranhao cuisine gets its precise flavour from. The most popular dish in Maranhao is cuxá, a rice-based dish which is even more popular when served with fried fish. Based in vinagreira (local greenery in the area), the dish is prepared using dry flour, dried shrimp, sesame and hot peppers.
Traditional Maranhao cuisine consists of a large variety of foods such as fish, crab, pies, shrimp stews and more.
Check out our Lencois Maranhenses Restaurant Guide for hints and tips on where to find the best restaurants and what to try when eating there. Also make sure you enjoy some shopping between meals, and take a look at our Lencois Maranhenses Shopping Guide for some hints and tips on what to buy. For some general information about food and cuisine in Brazil see our Brazil Restaurant Guide.
Food & Cuisine in Lencois Maranhenses
Like much food in Brazil, you will find that cuisine in Lencois Maranhenses can be both sophisticated and very earthy, thanks to its roots in various family restaurants which give Lencois cuisine its special sauces and seasonings.
In the south, you will find rustic chicken, cassava, duck and salmi in an authentic, fresh setting. Try the local aperitifs such as the tics, which are based on the indigenous root vegetable called cassava. Other options include buriti, fruit juices and sweet coconut water. Traditional Maranhao drinks are often are based on bacuri or cupuassu, local plants.
Local Food
There is a great variety of seafood in the region around Lencois Maranhenses. You can be sure to find fresh shrimp in local restaurants, which serve fish that is prepared with care and made to local tastes with local recipes.
With an abundance of fish, cashews, manioc and buriti trees, Lencois cuisine is inspired by nature. The cashew nut is used for both cooking and can also be eaten raw; its fruit pulp is used to feed livestock. The sand dunes region of the Lencois Maranhenses National Park produces the largest amount of cashew nuts. Local manioc is for making flour (farinha) and also to make the local blue schnapps called tiquira.
Most basic products of the region are consumed locally by the residents. These include rice, beans, manioc, sugarcane, cashew nuts, corn, côco-da-praia (also called côco-da-baía), watermelons, oranges and fish. In recent years, there have been many changes in local methods of agriculture and fishing due to the rising number of tourists. Besides the buruti palm, there are others such as tucum, or tucumã, carnaúba, anajá, and mart (babaçu).
Restaurante Bela Vista
Anacleto Carvalho, 617 - Barreirinhas
Restaurant da LuziaThe namesake of the restaurant lived with her family in the middle of the Lencois Maranhenses Park before the park was established. At present, the authorities are trying to move her from her home. There is no running water or electricity, and the restaurant consists simply of Luzia's dining room. The restaurant started when a tourist who had lost his way ate Luzia's food, and there has been no looking back since then. Luzia's prawns are known to be the reason for many tourists' trips, despite the region being so remote. The best way to sample the delicious fare is to arrive in the morning and order your lunch, since there are only three tables. While your food is being prepared by Luzia, you can take a short trek to the dunes nearby.
Getting to the restaurant is an adventure in itself; it starts with a three to four hour flight to São Luís do Maranhão, depending on which part of Brazil you're starting out from. Once you reach São Luís, you will have to get on a bus, which will bring you to Barreirinhas in about four hours. Here you will need to take a boat down the Preguiças River to Atins, which takes about five hours. Once in Atins, you start a two-hour trek to an unpretentious hut in the midst of the dunes with the sign "Restaurante da Luzia" on its door. Remember to slather on the sun block before you head out on your trek!
Restaurante BarlaventoAv. Beira Rio, 20 - Centro - Barreirinhas
Restaurante Dona MariaAv. Beira Rio - Barreirinhas
Terasso do PrequicasThis Barreirinhas restaurant is actually a 150-metre waterfront eatery that offers the best seafood and caipirinhas in the entire Nordeste. The average cost of a dish for two is around R $40. Located on Avenida Beira Rio.
