Dendê is the
Portuguese word for "Palm Oil". There are a number of dishes in Brazil and Portugal which are cooked using Palm Oil, such as
Acaraje, Vatapa,
Farofa, among others.
Dendê palm oil is obtained from the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) which orginated in Central
Africa. The small, clustreed
fruit of this palm goes through a variety of colors, like yellow, rust and red before finally turning black when ripe. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit and is used extensively in the Bahian cooking of Brazil. It has a nutty
flavor and deep
orange-yeloow color and lend a special touch to foods. For some
cooks, there is no real substitute for Palm oil.
Dendê may be purchased at apecialty stores or international markets. If not available,
olive oil can be a substitute although the taste of the
food will not
taste the same (but still be delicious) as when Palm oil is used.
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