Manaus is a huge working port and provides the base for many trips to the Amazon. In addition to banana chips, which are sold from every stall in town, the specialty is tacaca. You can get it from all over Manaus, bit the best place to try it is Giselle's tacaca stand in the beautiful main square.
A ladle of thin, clear broth is put into a bowl, followed by a blob of gelatinous substance that we think is some kind of manioc flour. Greens are stirred through, and lastly a few handfuls of shell-on prawns are added. You are then presented with a napkin and one chopstick with which to attempt to eat it. We sat on benches among the locals, and imitated their method, which was to drink the soup straight from the bowl, stab the prawns and scoop the greens up on the chopstick.
The gelatinous blob dissolved to give the soup a smooth texture. It tasted of the sea, in the same way that oysters do, and it certainly didn't need extra seasoning. It was more filling than we expected, and while we thought it would just be a starter, we didn't need to eat anything else that evening.
Kate
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