Tucupi is a

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...

sauce extracted from wild

manioc ''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 ...

root in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Amazon jungle The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin encompasses , of which are covered by the rainfo ...

. It is also produced as a by-product of manioc

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

manufacture. The juice is toxic when raw (containing

hydrocyanic acid Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an industrial s ...

). Tucupi is prepared by peeling, grating, and juicing the manioc. Traditionally, a basket-like instrument called the was used. After being squeezed through the tipiti, the juice is left to "rest" so that the

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

separates from the liquid (tucupi). Poisonous at this stage, tucupi must be boiled for 3 to 5 days to eliminate the poison. The tucupi can then be used as a sauce in cooking. It is seasoned with salt,

alfavaca ''Ocimum campechianum'' is a plant species in the family Lamiaceae, widespread across Mexico, Central America, South America, the West Indies, and Florida. Leaves of ''Ocimum campechianum'' are eaten in Brazil's Amazon jungle. Similar to basil, ...

and

chicória Common chicory (''Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to Europe, it has been introduced to the Americas and Australia. M ...

Mythology

In legend, Jacy (The

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

) and Iassytatassú (The

Morning Star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

) joined to visit the centre of the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

. When they tried to cross the abyss, the serpent Tyiiba bit the face of Jacy. Jacy's tears fell on a

plantation. Since then the face of Jacy (The

) has been marked by the bites of the snake. From the tears of Jacy sprang tucupi.

Preparations

Tucupi is very common in the cuisine of Brazilians of the Amazon region.

Pato no tucupi ''Pato no tucupi'' (duck in tucupi sauce) is a traditional Brazilian dish found mostly in the area around the city of Belém in the state of Pará state. The dish consists of a boiled duck (pato in Portuguese) in tucupi. One of the more typical r ...

("duck in tucupi") is a much appreciated dish: a duck which has been previously roasted, and then shredded, is brought to a boil in a sauce of tucupi and jambu (

Acmella oleracea ''Acmella oleracea'' is a species of flowering herb in the family Asteraceae. Common names include toothache plant, Szechuan buttons, paracress, jambu, buzz buttons, tingflowers and electric daisy. Its native distribution is unclear, but it is li ...

Tacacá Tacacá () is a typical dish of Northern Brazil (mostly consumed in Pará, Amazonas, Acre, Amapá and Roraima). It is made with (a native variety of paracress), (a broth made with wild manioc), cooked tapioca gum (also manioc-based), and ...

is another specialty of Amazonian cuisine from the state of

Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...

. Served in a bowl made from a

gourd Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly '' Cucurbita'' and '' Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. Many gourds ha ...

, boiling tucupi is poured over manioc flour. A generous portion of jambu and

dried shrimp Dried shrimp are shrimp that have been sun-dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many African, East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami taste. A handful of shrimp is generally used for dish ...

complete the dish. The acidic nature of tucupi accentuates the effects of jambu, which cause the lips and mouth to tingle or feel numbness.

References

{{Reflist Sauces Cassava dishes Indigenous cuisine of the Americas Cuisine of the North region of Brazil