Cozinha africana da Bahia e comida de santo

por Paulo Seidl

   Fazer oferenda de comidas ou animais sacrificados a deuses e santos não foi inovação dos seguidores do candomblé.  Já o faziam outros povos, como os incas, que ofertavam lhamas ao deus sol, os hindus, os egípcios e os europeus pagãos, apenas para mencionar o que seria início de uma longa lista.  Melhor exemplo, entretanto, é própria premissa do cristianismo, segundo a qual o sacrifício de Cristo na cruz teria sido um mal necessário para expiar os pecados do homem, não deixando de ser herança dos hebreus, que sacrificavam cordeiros imaculados a Jeová, de acordo com o apóstolo João, que anunciou o Cristo como o cordeiro de Deus que tira o pecado do mundo.

Dessa forma, desde o século XVI, os escravos trazidos da África, em seu culto jejê-nagô, já faziam oferendas de pratos aos seus deuses, o que veio a ser futuramente a base das oferendas nos terreiros de candomblé, a partir do século XIX. 

   Mas comida votiva é, na verdade, apenas um dos expoentes da culinária baiana. Inserida em um maior contexto, o da ‘cozinha africana da Bahia’, ela divide espaço com a cozinha sertaneja e a cozinha praiana, tendo como berço os terreiros da cidade de São Salvador da Bahia. Terreiros, os quais, atualmente, são considerados responsáveis por salvaguardar uma culinária única, de caráter extremamente cultural, e que, infelizmente, está desaparecendo da farta e rica mesa dos baianos.

   A cozinha africana da Bahia, ao contrário do que se pode imaginar, não é uma cozinha exclusivamente africana, mas sim o fruto da miscigenação de três culturas, a saber, a portuguesa, a indígena e a própria africana.  É chamada de cozinha africana, entretanto, por ser de todas as cozinhas regionais, a que mais sofreu influência do continente negro, principalmente pelo uso de seus ingredientes vindos do outro lado do Atlântico, como o dendê, a pimenta malagueta e o quiabo, além do coco, inhame e temperos como o coentro.

   Curiosamente, outros estados do Brasil, como São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro e Minas Gerais, que fizeram uso igual de escravos africanos (idem para outros países americanos, como Estados Unidos e Cuba), não desenvolveram uma gastronomia africana, como aconteceu na Bahia. Isso pode ser parcialmente explicado pela comercialização na Bahia do azeite de dendê, e posteriormente seu plantio e cultivo. 

   A literatura brasileira nos traz uma boa ilustração da cozinha africana da Bahia e conseqüentemente das comidas de santo. Jorge Amado, à guisa de exemplo, começa a descrevê-la timidamente em seus primeiros romances, como Jubiabá, para mais tarde tecer um verdadeiro compêndio dessa culinária, com receitas inclusive, em livros como Dona Flor e seus dois maridos, Tocaia Grande ou O sumiço da santa, e finalmente criar o protagonista Pedro Archanjo, de Tenda dos Milagres, um pai de santo que escreve um livro de culinária.

   Igualmente, Câmara Cascudo e Gabriel Soares de Souza, descreveram pratos baianos, como o caruru e o vatapá, em seus clássicos da literatura gastronômica. Livros específicos sobre a cozinha baiana, entretanto, só chegam aos leitores no século XX, com os 4 pilares dessa literatura – Manuel Quirino, Sodré Viana, Darwin Brandão e Hildegardes Vianna. Foram eles que acompanharam a transição da cozinha baiana das mãos das cunhãs, sob a supervisão das senhoras portuguesas, para as das mucamas, que africanizaram a comida baiana, com os ingredientes vindos da senzala, transformando esparregados em carurus, ensopados em moquecas e açordas em vatapás. 

   Abaixo, apresentam-se o descritivo e algumas informações sobre pratos da cozinha baiana africana, trazidos pelo Mestre Guilherme Radel. Muitos deles desapareceram da mesa do baiano. Outros, nem sequer são ofertados nos terreiros, tendendo à extinção.

• Abará, ofertado a Obá e Oxum, é um bolinho de feijão cozido na folha da bananeira. Juntamente com o acarajé, é um dos raros pratos africanos de fato, tendo suas contrapartidas na Nigéria e em Angola, com os nomes de moin moin e abalá, respectivamente.

• Acarajé, oferecido a Iansã, tem a mesma massa do abará, só que é frito em dendê. Conhecido na Nigéria e no Benin com o nome de akára, é tombado pelo Iphan. 
• Arroz da Hauçá não é oferecido a santos, talvez por conter carne de charque.  Seu nome deriva dos Hauçás, povo sudanês.
• Bobó, originalmente ofertado aos orixás com inhame e camarão seco, na mesa do baiano vem na versão com camarão fresco e fruta-pão ou mandioca em vez do inhame.
• Caruru, também conhecido como amalá, é oferecido a Ibeji, que quer dizer gêmeos. No sincretismo brasileiro, é associado à festa de São Cosme e São Damião, em 27 de setembro, data de grandes festividades na Bahia.
• Humulucu ou Omolocum, recebe também a alcunha de feijão de azeite e é oferecido a Ewá. Na versão com ovos, é o preferido de Oxum.
• Aberém, para Oxumaré, é uma pasta de milho cozida na folha de bananeira, semelhante a uma pamonha.
• Acaçá, bolinho de milho, oferecido a Oxalá.
• Ado, farinha de milho com mel e dendê, é oferecido a Oxum.
• Afurá, bebida feita a partir de massa de arroz fermentada, não é mais oferecida em terreiros.
• Badofe, ensopado de fígado, coração e bofe de boi.
• Bolas de inhame, ausentes na mesa baiana, são bolas preparadas a partir de uma massa de inhame.
• Efó, semelhante ao caruru, é um preparo com folhas, como a taioba, castanha de caju, camarão seco, e o invariável dendê.
• Ipetê é um preparo à base de inhame, camarão seco, cebola e pimenta, oferecido a Oxum.
• Ochin-chim de galinha – galinha guisada com camarões, temperos e sementes de abóbora, é oferecido a vários orixás.
• Olubó, espécie de pirão de mandioca, não é mais oferecido a orixás e nem servido nas mesas baianas.
• Quibebe, espécie de sopa de abóbora, oferecida a Oxossi, é um dos raros pratos da cozinha africana da Bahia que não leva dendê nem pimenta.
• Vatapá, um dos pratos mais emblemáticos da Cozinha Baiana, é presente nas mesas baianas pobres e ricas, bem como nos terreiros.  Podendo ser de galinha ou de peixe, é preparado segundo inúmeras receitas, tendo o pão, o fubá, o camarão e a castanha de caju e o dendê como um de seus ingredientes principais.

BIBLIOGRAFIA

Brandão, Darwin. A cozinha baiana. Livraria Universitária, Salvador, 1948

Cascudo, Luiz da Câmara. História da alimentação no Brasil. Companhia Editora nacional, 1967.

Costa, Paloma Jorge Amado. O livro de cozinha de Pedro Archanjo. Ed Maltese, São Paulo, 1994.

Querino, Manuel. Costumes africanos no Brasil. Ed. Civilização Brasileira, Rio de Janeiro, 1938.

Radel, Guilherme. A cozinha africana da Bahia. Salvador, 2006.

Soares de Souza, Gabriel. Notícia do Brasil. Livraria Martins Editora, São Paulo, s.d.

Vianna, Hildegardes. A cozinha baiana. Salvador, 1955.

Vianna, Sodré. Caderno de Xangô. Salvador, 1939.

Crédito da ilustração https://catracalivre.com.br/salvador/dica-digital/indicacao/guia-afetivo-da-culinaria-de-rua-baiana-ganha-versao-online/ .

Cocanha, o país da fartura eterna/ Cockaigne, the country of endless abundance

Oskar Herrfurth (1862-1934)

"Das Märchen vom Schlaraffenland",

series of six postcards, Uvachrom. 354, no. 5086, pre-1934

I.              Introduction

This article intends to examine literature on the land of Cockaigne, an imaginary country where food abounds, work is prohibited, sexuality is free, and their inhabitants are everlastingly young. The literature analysis is meant to provide base for a specific iconography examination, which is offered at the last part of the article. 

II.            The Mythical land of Cockaigne

The idyllic idea of a land where work is needless and food is lavish was not created with Cockaigne. Several Greek-Roman authors fancy similar utopian lands, such as Plato and Euripides in the 5^th century b.C. The Bible tells us the story of the Garden of Eden where work and pain did not exist and fruit trees were plentiful. The Coram also promises a post-life heaven not only teemed with food, but also with free sexuality, guaranteeing 500 spouses and 4,000 virgins for each male. The medieval story of The Holy Grail inspires lifelong youth, and perhaps the Brothers Grimm were influenced by Cockaigne when they described the witch’s gingerbread house in the famous fairy tale Hans and Gretel.

Cockaigne has been part of people’s imaginary since the 12^th century, from oral tradition, and since the 13^th century, in literature, with the publishing of the French poem Le Fabliau de Cocagne. Since then, several other publications appeared in different Western European countries. Different versions offered distinct views on the magical land, and were consequently adapted to the cultural environment of the country where the story was duplicated.

In all versions, however, Cockaigne has always been depicted as a utopian land with four main characteristics: the abundance of food at no effort, the lack of necessity to work, eternal life and youth, and free sexuality.

The High Middle Ages were marked by famine, pest, and struggle, especially among the least privileged classes. It is no wonder that Cockaigne gained so much space in the imaginary of the population as well as in literature and iconography. At times of penury and severe moral restriction, commoners needed an escape of fancy to forget their own struggles for survival and their miserable life.

Interestingly, each version of Cockaigne was adapted according to the local culinary culture. For instance, in France flans would drop like rain and sausages were picked up from trees. Italian poems portrayed houses made of lasagna and mountains of Parmesan cheese. The cultural adaptation of each version provides paramount input to understand the local cuisines and food habits of each nation.

The writings and iconography in Cockaigne, which have always been intended to the lower classes, describe exactly the opposite of what the population ate. One clear example is meat, one of the most present food items in the reports on Cockaigne. Roasted flying poultry and walking braised animals are central in the description of Cockaigne. It is well know that meat was a privilege of the high class, particularly roasted meat. Losing precious animal fat to the flames of the oven was a luxury the poor could definitely not afford. They had to do with small pieces of cubed meat, usually pork, mixed in their cabbage stews and soups.  

In addition to meat, Franco (2013) describes three other food items that were omnipresent in the reports of the mythical land: fish, wine, and sweets. As meat was restricted to the upper class, fish was not a common peasant food either. During Lent, when the Church imposed restriction on meat consumption, fish and seafood were restricted to the rich. But in Cockaigne, salmon, sturgeon, herring, and other luxury fish were abundant.

Although the poor did have access to wine, the drink was also quite present. Why is that, if the menu on Cockaigne seems to be the reverse of that in real life? One possible explanation is that wine has always been associated with happiness, well being, and torpor. A land with free permissiveness could not do without the red drink. One of the most representative portraits of Cockaigne, a 1567 oil painting by the Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel, shows three lying satiated men. 

The men are half awake and one of them has his pants unbuttoned probably from overeating. But an empty wine jug on a tree shelf provides evidence that in addition to more than plenty food, the three men also drank a considerable amount of wine.

Pieter Bruegel, the Eldder. The Land of Cockaigne, 1567

Oil on panel. Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany.

The last food item that overwhelms in the depictions of Cockaigne is sweets. Sugar, which is only known to French Cuisine as of the 14^th century, was considerably expensive at that time, so dessert items, such as pastries, pies, and cakes were never on the table of the peasants. This was, instead, a luxury of which they could only dream, and thus quite present in the representations of Cockaigne.

It is not difficult to imagine that what was part of the real diet of the lower classes would not be part of their fancy. Likewise, Cockaigne had no space for bread, by far the most consumed food item of the poor, responsible for a vast majority of the 2,000 daily calories consumed per day (Franco, 2013). For the same reason, vegetables, fruit, soup, butter, and milk were not on the menu of Cockaigners either.

Other food items that were not available on the menu of Cockaigners were spice and olive oil.                                         

 Oskar Herrfurth (1862-1934),, 

series of six postcards, Uvachrom. 354, no. 5087, pre-1934

Spice, like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pepper, was known to be expensive and its use represented a social distinction until shortly after the Renaissance. So was olive oil, regarded by the well-off as a substitute for butter, which was frowned upon. But in Cockaigne, those food items were not necessary, simply due to the fact that no one had to cook! The pigs wandering on the street and the poultry flying in from the sky to the dishes of the people were ready to eat. No oil was needed to prepare a dish that was certainly already seasoned. 

And so Cockaigne remained for many centuries as a small haven of luxury for the struggling Medieval lower class, leaving hints of what those people fancied eating and what they actually put on their table.

III.           Iconography analysis

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553)

“The fountain of youth,” 1546 (Berlin – Gamaeldegalerie)

“The fountain of youth” by Lucas Cranach depicts one of the characteristics of Cockaigne, eternal life and youth. The portrait has a clear clockwise sequence: Before the bathe, during the bathe, and after the bathe. Then the people move onwards to a tent, followed by a lush banquet, and then a promenade in the woods.

We can see on the left of the fountain a number of elderly and sick people. Some of them are so old or sick that they must be helped to get into the water. An old man is brought in a wheelbarrow, while others are in a chariot and one is on a horse. Another old man sits on the steps of the fountain and is aided by an already refreshed young woman. All of them still have their clothes on, except by an old man who has help to take his clothes off – he is about to enter the fountain.

The portrait also depicts several nude women in the fountain, who have already been exposed to the magical effects of the water. In the upper part of the pool stands a fountain sprinkling the mystic water. This may indicate that the water is ever-flowing, and its waters are eternal. The rejuvenated women are happily swimming, enjoying their new status. Two women are embracing, depicting that Cockaigne is so sexually free that homosexuality is not only tolerated but welcome. Some women are washing their hair, hoping, perhaps, to rid of their old white hair.

To the right of the pool we can observe an usher leading the now young women out of the water and into a tent. Once dressed, the rejuvenated men and women have a banquet awaiting them. Someone is bringing a large platter of food onto the table, an indicator that the food is abundant and infinite.

After the banquet, we can see two couple dancing. One of them is going towards the bushes, leaving to fancy what their business is out there. Some people are under a tree, which carries perhaps sweets and pastries instead of fruit.

Finally, Lucas Cranach’s painting is interesting because it shows all the characteristics Cockaigne usually displays in literature, namely, abundant food, eternal youth, and free sexuality.

     IV. Conclusion

             An imaginary, utopian land, Cockaigne had everything mankind had always fancied:      food, sex, and eternal young life at no effort. Part of the imaginary of Western Europeans     for centuries, it was represented in the Middle Ages in oral tradition and literature. In the       Modern Age, a substantial number of portrays depicted the mythical country. While some     of these works of art focused on one aspect, like eternal youth, others depicted food, wine     or even free sexuality the land offered their inhabitants.

         But Cockaigne represents more than that. It brings forth the need to escape the tough    reality lived by a struggling population, who had little to eat under a very strict moral              imposed by the constant surveillance of the Church. And fortunately it provides us with          substantial input on the type of food that population ate – or did not eat.

    V. References

Delumeau, J. (org.) 1976. La mort du pays de Cocagne. Paris, Publications de la Sorbonne.

Ferrières, M. 2002. Histoires des peurs alimentaires. Paris, Seuil.

Franco, H. Jr. 2013. Cocagne – histoire d’un pays imaginaire. Paris, Arkhê.

Quellier, F. 2010. Gourmandise – histoire d’un péché capital. Paris, Armand Colis.

_The_Land_of_Cockaigne_-_WGA3507.jpg last visited on January 12, 2016.

http://www.ealimentarium.ch/en/magazine/pleasure/amazing-feasts/land-cockaigne last visited on January 17, 2016