Acarajé for a dinner party — went down extremely well

I made Acarajé for eight guests who had varying familiarity with the cuisine. Every single person asked for the recipe. The smoky and umami-deep profile was the main talking point — no one had quite experienced dende palm oil used that way before.

Brazilian cuisine reflects indigenous, Portuguese, and African culinary heritages in equal measure. I explained the a churrascaria rodizio steakhouse context as I served it which helped people appreciate it fully. caipirinha was what I offered alongside and it worked perfectly. Excellent dinner party dish — impressive without being inaccessible.