acaraje.

Every Sunday, at the Hippie Fair in Ipanema (in General Osorio), there are a few stalls at every corner of the square selling all sorts of traditional foods from the Northeast of Brazil. I haven't tried all of them yet, but my favorite is acaraje, a bean patty fried in dende oil, topped with a mixture of okra and veggies and a spicy pepper sauce. You can also get it topped with camarao (shrimp) but I usually opt against it. It's the only time in Rio that I can find spice, and I've been trying to get down to Ipanema every Sunday to get my fix. My favorite stall is the one closest to the ZigZag bar on the corner of Prudente de Morais-- for BRL 7, you can get an acaraje, and then find a place at one of the metal tables that look like they might fall apart if you lean on them too hard. Too often there's no place to sit, so you need to stand, and form a makeshift table with your thigh or other body part, careful not to spill the steaming hot food all over you. I always recommend getting a cool beverage, because the food is spicy and the heat (from the food and the temperature outside) is enough to make you faint.