Sagu (dessert)
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Sagu (or sagu de vinho — ) is a southern Brazilian dessert, made with
tapioca pearls A tapioca pearl, also known as tapioca ball, is an edible translucent sphere produced from tapioca, a starch made from the cassava root . They originated as a cheaper alternative to sago in Southeast Asian cuisine. When used as an ingredient in ...
, sugar and red wine. It is typical of the state of
Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...
, but also consumed in Santa Catarina and Paraná. The
sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of ''Metroxylon sagu''. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is c ...
balls were introduced to Latin America from Southeast Asia via the
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and
Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...
s. In Brazil, tapioca pearls are still known as ''sagu'', despite being made from the native South American
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
, and not sago
palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...
s. These pearls are used in this traditional dish, known as ''sagu de vinho'' ("wine sago"), or just ''sagu'', created in the
Serra Gaúcha The Serra Gaúcha (''Gaucho Highlands'') is a cultural region comprising the mountainous areas in the northeastern portion of Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil. Most of its inhabitants are of German and Italian ancestry. Consequently, ...
region, in the northeastern part of Rio Grande do Sul, but consumed in all the state. It is usually mixed with sugar and red wine and then served warm or cold, with
crème anglaise ''Crème anglaise'' (; ), custard sauce, pouring custard, or simply custard is a light, sweetened pouring custard from French cuisine, used as a dessert cream or sauce. It is a mix of sugar, egg yolks, and hot milk usually flavoured with vanilla ...
on top of it (sometimes with beaten egg whites with sugar). In some recipes, wine is mixed with grape juice, with the intent of making the dessert sweeter and less alcoholic. It is also common to infuse the wine with
cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...
and
clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or Aroma compound, fragrance in fin ...
s to add flavor to the dish. Although tapioca pearls can be made at home, they are more commonly store-bought. In this kind of dessert, the tapioca pearls can be also prepared with milk or fruit juice (like orange or pineapple – generally made by people of German descent), instead of red wine, but these variations are quite rare, the wine sagu being the most popular version.


History

''Sagu'' (from Malay ''sago'' or ''sagu'') originally referred to starch extracted from Southeast Asian
sago palm Sago palm is a common name for several plants which are used to produce a starchy food known as sago. Sago palms may be "true palms" in the family Arecaceae The Arecaceae () is a family (biology), family of perennial plant, perennial, flowerin ...
s (''saguzeiro'' in Portuguese), which is usually made into sago pearls in
Southeast Asian cuisine This is a list of Asian cuisines, by region. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, usually associated with a specific culture or region. Asia, being the largest, most populous and culturally diverse continent, ...
. After
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
(native to South America) was introduced to Southeast Asia during the
colonial era Colonial period (a period in a country's history where it was subject to management by a colonial power) may refer to: Continents *European colonization of the Americas * Colonisation of Africa * Western imperialism in Asia Countries * Col ...
, it became an alternative starch source for making pearl sago, resulting in the name "''sagu''" or "''sago''" being used interchangeably for cassava, potato or sago starch in European cuisine. The making of tapioca balls was introduced to Brazil after the arrival of European immigrants, which became known as ''sagu'', despite being made from native cassava starch. The
indigenous peoples in Brazil Indigenous peoples in Brazil or Native Brazilians () are the peoples who lived in Brazil before European contact around 1500 and their descendants. Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples once comprised an estimated 2,000 distric ...
have already chopped and cooked cassava roots for food. With the
transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil The Portuguese royal court transferred from Lisbon to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in a strategic retreat of Queen Maria I of Portugal, prince regent John, the Braganza royal family, its court, and senior officials, totaling nearly 10,000 ...
, in the beginning of the 19th century, the cassava flour started being prepared with
Port wine Port wine (, ; ), or simply port, is a Portuguese wine, Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro, Douro Valley of Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal. It is typically a sweetness of wine, sweet red wine, often served with dessert wine, ...
, resulting in a kind of sweet
porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...
, such as a "parent" of sagu de vinho. In the beginning of the 20th century, some of small corporations in the southern Brazil, created by descendants of Europeans, started to produce the cassava starch as an alternative to the typical products of Europe, like the potato starch. In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, corporations of the state of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul became producers of tapioca pearls (made of cassava), used in this dessert. Some traditional German recipes which use potato starch, like rote grütze, are very similar to sagu because they are mixture of starch and red fruits. Although this recipe did not arrive in Brazil with the European immigrants, sagu is a symbol of the European colonization because this dessert was created by them in southern Brazil. It represents mainly the northern Italian immigration, due to the flavors and the ingredients, and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, because of the industrial technology. Cassava is a typical indigenous Brazilian ingredient that was absorbed by the traditions of the European immigrants, mixed with the traditional Italian red wine. There are lesser traditional variations of this dessert, according to the origin of the immigrants. In the families of German origin, for example, sagu can be prepared with milk, wine or also with fruits, like orange or
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...
. The Italian families make the dessert only with red wine. The
Serra Gaúcha The Serra Gaúcha (''Gaucho Highlands'') is a cultural region comprising the mountainous areas in the northeastern portion of Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil. Most of its inhabitants are of German and Italian ancestry. Consequently, ...
region was colonized by northern Italian (mainly from
Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...
) and German peoples, among other European immigrants (like
Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...
). The rest of the state was colonized mainly by the Azorean Portuguese, Arabs (mainly from
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
,
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and
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) and Africans (mainly from
Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
). This dish is popular in Rio Grande do Sul, but it is also a common dessert served in restaurants in the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná). However, it remains almost unknown in other Brazilian states and neighbouring countries, like
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
.


Taste and characteristics

This dessert is not so sweet. For this reason, it is usually more appreciated by adults than children. In the southern Brazilian region, there is a preference for less sweet desserts, explaining its popularity in the state. It is described as a "sweet caviar, full of little purple balls, monochromatic and with an intense but delicate flavor". This recipe is relatively easy to be prepared and its smell is unmistakable.


Preparation

The cassava root is cleaned, grated and mixed with water. After that, it is passed through a
sieve A sieve (), fine mesh strainer, or sift is a tool used for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet m ...
with a thick fabric, producing little balls, which are heated and then cooled, getting hard and opaque. The pearls are submerged in water for generally a whole day, then drained. This time varies according to the source of the recipe (some sources say that just one hour is necessary). Then red wine, milk or fruit juice is boiled and water, cloves and cinnamon are added to it. When boiling the mixture again, the sago pearls are added, being stirred constantly to avoid it from sticking on the bottom of the pan. Finally, sugar is added and the mixture is stirred until it gets the wanted consistency (it can be smoother or harder, and more liquid or solid). It can be served warm, cold or at room temperature.


Nutritional information

The tapioca balls are quite caloric because they are pure starch, being a good source of energy. They also have
dietary fiber Dietary fiber (fibre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or roughage is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes. Dietary fibers are diverse in chemical co ...
, iron,
calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...
and a small amount of
protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
s.


See also

*
List of Brazilian sweets and desserts Below is a list of sweets and desserts found in Brazilian cuisine. Brazilian cuisine has European, African and Amerindian influences. It varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations, and its contine ...


References

{{reflist Brazilian desserts Wine dishes Cassava desserts Cuisine of the South region of Brazil