cuscuz.

Yesterday, my roommate took me to Prainha, Grumari, and Macumba-- a set of coastline and beaches past Recreio, the farthest "town" per-se, after the major neighborhoods of Ipanema, Leblon, Sao Conrado, and finally, Barra.

The beaches were beautiful, and I'll have to have a separate post of pictures just for that, but there was this little old man sitting by the parking lot in Prainha selling cuscuz, the Bahian sweet that I never got to try in Bahia.

A sort of dessert bar made from tapioca flour, milk, coconut, salt and sugar-- it's delicious, especially when served with leite condensado (condensed milk) drizzled on top. It's not too sweet, a small slice is sufficient to feel satisfied.

Here's the recipe for making it; I've got to save it (along with many others) for when I head back to the United States. It's right up there with avocado smoothies, passionfruit mousse, and doce de leite.

Receita:

1 pack of tapioca flour
1 shredded coconut
3.5 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of sugar
pinch of sal

Place in a bowl: coconut, tapioca flour, salt and sugar.

Add to the mixture, boiling milk.

Stir until all combined.

Pour mixture into a pan (wet the pan before with cold water).

Smooth surface with a spoon.

Cover the pan and wrap with a cloth for 3 hours.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Top with shredded coconut and condensed milk, drizzled.